Bernardo Silva is hoping to see Manchester City offer him some Portuguese support this summer, with the Premier League title winner joking that he is not concerned about “whether they’re good or not”. A man currently away on World Cup duty with his country enjoyed a productive debut campaign at the Etihad Stadium, taking in 53 appearances after completing a €50 million switch from Monaco. The 23-year-old playmaker is enjoying his time in England, with City’s domestic dominance allowing them to work with a relaxed camp where dressing room banter flows as freely as the goals. Silva is, however, looking for a fellow countryman to come and join him in the japes, with Pep Guardiola urged to raid the transfer market for a player with ties to the Euro 2016 champions. He told The Players’ Tribune: “The problem is that now I’m the only Portuguese guy on the team. I am surrounded by the Brazilians, the Spaniards, the English, and they think it’s funny to play pranks on me on Instagram. They’ve tied my boots to the ceiling. They’ve tossed me in the pool with all my clothes on. “Even though we were Premier League champions, going to training every day felt like it did when you were a kid, when you were just having fun. That’s pretty rare in football, I think. “The guys behind it are usually the Brazilian Crew: Fernandinho, Ederson, Danilo and Gabriel Jesus, and I’ve become really close friends with them. I swear, this summer, after the World Cup, I’m gonna convince Pep to buy some Portuguese players. I don’t even care whether they’re good or not. They just need to be very creative with pranks. That’s all I ask.” Silva made his move to City early in the summer of 2017, before the market exploded on the back of Neymar’s record-breaking switch to Paris Saint-Germain. He was always hopeful that a former team-mate or two would join him from Monaco, and he eventually got his wish. Benjamin Mendy has become the joker in chief at City, with the France international nudged towards a big-money move by a man he enjoyed Ligue 1 title success alongside in 2016-17. “For me, there is no better place to be than Man City,” said Silva. “A lot has been written about Pep, but I still don’t think people fully understand how much he is a master of details. Before games he often says that he is giving us the map, but that we have to solve the riddles out on the pitch. For anyone who is obsessed with football, he’s the perfect manager to learn from. I wake up every day so happy to be playing football here. “On the day that I signed with City, I sent the Monaco guys a message with a photo of me holding up my jersey, and I said, “It’s done, guys. When are you joining us?” “Mendy said, “Man! Now I’ve gotta come over too!” “Kylian [Mbappe] grew up a fan of PSG, so I think he was destined for Paris, but two months later, Mendy signed with City, too.”

West Ham have been warned off making a move for Yaya Toure, with club legend and World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst claiming the former Manchester City man would be “a very, very poor decision”. The Ivorian midfielder is available as a free agent this summer after reaching the end of his contract at the Etihad Stadium. He landed two Premier League titles and the FA Cup with City, having previously won La Liga and the Champions League with Barcelona, and is considered to be an iconic figure within English football. Toure is, however, now 35 years of age and has held nothing back in a rather blunt assessment of former manager Pep Guardiola since finding himself without a club. Hammers hero Hurst believes a combination of those factors make a summer move to bring him to the London Stadium the wrong call for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, telling the Daily Star: “When I see them linked with Toure I just think that’s completely and utterly off the wall. “I absolutely cannot believe as a club we’re looking at him. “We bought the full-back - Ryan Fredericks - from Fulham which was terrific. “But looking at Toure - with his comments about Pep Guardiola and the business with his birthday cake a few years ago - for West Ham to even think about talking to him is a very, very poor decision. “There comes a time when a player is past his best and we shouldn’t be buying cast-offs from other teams.” While urging West Ham to overlook Toure, former England international Hurst has also advised the club to shelve interest in Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere. He is another who could be available for nothing this summer, but his injury issues make him a gamble for anybody considering an approach. Hurst added: “Wilshere is injury prone and you don’t want to sign players like that. We’ve already got Andy Carroll. “Wilshere again for me is a complete no. There’s enough players in the world. West Ham don’t need to sign cast-offs, injured players and players that are too old. “For God’s sake surely we have enough money to buy a bit of quality.”

Manchester City have been offered hope in their ongoing pursuit of Jorginho, with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis revealing that he expects a long-running saga to be “settled soon”. Goal revealed back in April that the Italy international midfielder had emerged as a top target for the Premier League champions. Efforts to get a deal over the line have been stepped up over recent weeks, with a €50 million (£44m/$58m) approach being knocked back. Napoli have refused to lower their demands throughout lengthy negotiations, as they seek to retain the services of a prized asset, with it suggested that talks could drag on towards deadline day. De Laurentiis has, however, hinted that an end is in sight, telling Corriere dello Sport: Jorginho? I spoke about him with Manchester City and now [sporting director] Giuntoli is in contact with them. “There is a good chance that everything is settled soon.” While the exit doors may be about to swing open for Jorginho, the same cannot be said for Marek Hamsik. The long-serving Napoli captain had been expected to complete a move to China this summer, but no formal approach has been made as yet. De Laurentiis added: “Hamsik was at my house in Venglos and he told me I would be contacted by a Chinese club. No one contacted me.” Napoli will be eager to see the transfer picture become a little clearer over the coming weeks, with new boss Carlo Ancelotti needing to know who will be at his disposal for 2018-19 before further recruitment plans are drawn up.

Fabian Delph has hailed Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as “a genius”, with the Catalan credited with having made the versatile 28-year-old a Premier League champion and World Cup performer. The 2017-18 campaign proved to be the most productive to date for the man who moved to the Etihad Stadium from Aston Villa in 2015. Delph took in 29 appearances across all competitions, with Guardiola having opted to use him as left-back cover following an unfortunate injury to Benjamin Mendy. Domestic dominance was secured with a league title and Carabao Cup success, with international recognition then achieved in time to make Gareth Southgate’s England squad heading to Russia 2018. Delph is delighted with the progress he has made, telling reporters of the role Guardiola has played: “He’s fantastic. For me, he is a genius. “He has opened my eyes to so much. I didn’t picture football like Pep does. He’s painted the pictures for me. “I stayed mentally strong, and I knew if I got my opportunity to play I could contribute and help the lads win games. “I’m a very traditional English guy who believes in hard work and dedication and giving it absolutely everything. I’m there to fight and pick up second balls, to be that old English type of player, but he has reinvented me. “Now it’s all about being calm and collected on the ball, being sensible in terms of if someone occupies my position then I need to occupy a different position. “Pep smells the danger. We’ve got so many systems the way we played. Everybody seems to think, ‘Wow, what are they doing?’ But it is very simple. “Basically we move the ball very fast, we take as few touches as possible and we stay in the positions, we utilise the spaces and distances perfectly and we have the courage to play out and build up from the back. “And we work on it daily. Every session we do there is always an aim to it, there is always a reason why we are doing a certain exercise, not just having a five-a-side for the sake of it and fitness work. Everything is geared towards the game and the team we are playing next.” Hard work has earned Delph further England opportunities, with the man who forged his reputation as a hard-working midfielder prepared to play wherever he is required for the Three Lions this summer as they go in search of global glory. He added on the position he considers to be his best: “I’ll give you the textbook answer – wherever the team needs me I’ll be there to give 100 per cent. “If it’s left-back, centre midfielder, defensive or attacking, I’ll give 100 per cent. If it’s in goal I’ll play there – but I will be rubbish!”

Jorginho is happy to remain at Napoli but a move to Manchester City is an "opportunity of a lifetime" for the player, according to his agent. The Italy international has been heavily linked with the Premier League champions, though media speculation has suggested Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool also hold an interest. Having claimed to have already rejected a €50 million (£44m/$58m) offer from City, Napoli club president Aurelio De Laurentiis said in a recent interview that a deal could be done "in the next few days". Joao Santos - who represents Jorginho - insists the midfielder is content to stay put, should a career-defining move to the Etihad Stadium fail to materialise. "Jorginho is good at Napoli, but there are negotiations with Manchester City and this is why we do not talk about a renewal," he told TuttoMercatoWeb. "We are talking about a lad for whom Manchester City represents the opportunity of a lifetime. "But beware - he would not be sad if he stayed in Naples. In Naples the lad is well and is happy." After joining from Verona in January 2014, Jorginho has helped Napoli finish second to champions Juventus in two of the last three Serie A seasons. Born in Brazil, the 26-year-old opted to represent Italy at international level. He made his debut for the Azzurri in March 2016 and has won eight caps to date.