Manchester City won the Champions League title for the first time by beating Inter Milan 1-0 at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium on Saturday, June 10. Pep Guardiola’s team was far from their fluent best for long periods in the Ataturk Stadium, but they once again found a way to dig out a narrow victory to follow up their FA Cup triumph over Manchester United last weekend and end their long pursuit of Europe’s premier trophy.
Manchester City crowned Champions League winners. Source: Twitter The Citizens struggled to impose their usual, dominant game upon the Italians in a tight first half with Erling Haaland seeing their best effort well blocked by Andre Onana. Guardiola’s frustration was then compounded when the Belgian star Kevin de Bruyne was forced to withdraw from the action for a second successive Champions League final after suffering a hamstring injury. Spanish midfielder Rodri’s 68th-minute goal settled a cagey contest that a far-from-fluent City dominated but they never looked comfortable against the three-time winners. Inter almost levelled at the death when a point-blank header by substitute Romelu Lukaku was saved by Ederson. City held on to lift their first European silverware since 1970. It completed a treble for City, making them the second English club to achieve the great feat as Manchester United also won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 1999.
A list of trophies Manchester City won this season. Source: Twitter While it is the first time City has won European soccer’s biggest club competition, it is the third time Pep Guardiola has lifted the trophy as a coach. The victory means the club finally achieved its ambition of reaching the summit of European soccer, 15 years after Abu Dhabi’s ruling family transformed it into one of the richest teams in the world. Owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan was in attendance to see City’s crowning moment. It was only the second time he has watched his team in person in 15 years. Following the big win today, Guardiola is now the only coach to win a treble with two different sides, the first one being FC Barcelona in 2008/09. Guardiola also became the third-ever manager in the history of football to win the Champions League with two different teams.
Kovacic at a match for Chelsea. Source: Getty Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich have also been linked with Kovacic, but the Cityzens are in pole position to sign him. With Chelsea ready to sell, Manchester City has been keeping a close eye on the Croatian international. Pep Guardiola’s men are looking for a potential replacement for İlkay Gundogan whose contract runs out in the summer. If the German international leaves, Kovacic will be an ideal replacement. Even if he does not, the arrival of the Croat will surely strengthen their squad. 
Kovacic lifting the Champions League trophy Chelsea won. Source: Getty Manchester City have already made a move, they have agreed personal terms with the 29-year-old. The player is keen on joining the Manchester-based club. And, now it is up to the clubs to find an agreement. With Chelsea open to the idea of him leaving, Manchester City fancy their chances. As a result, it will be interesting to see if they can land the Croatian international in their ranks. EXCL: Mateo Kovacić has now agreed personal terms with Manchester City after advanced talks already revealed last week 🚨🔵🇭🇷 #MCFC Kovacić wants the move, next step has to be between clubs as Chelsea and City will discuss fee after the UCL final. Chelsea, open to sell Kovacić. pic.twitter.com/PKdCHsEL9B — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 8, 2023 Kovacic has been a great servant for Chelsea ever since he joined them back in the summer of 2018. Initially, Chelsea loaned him in from Real Madrid for a year. But on the back of impressive performances, the Blues signed the Croat permanently. Kovacic has made more than 200 appearances for the Blues. He played a pivotal role in the 2018/19 Europa League triumph and the 20/2021 Champions League success. He is considered one of the best central midfielders in Europe, and Guardiola can make the most out of his prime years. 
Cancelo at a match for Manchester City. Source: Getty Cancelo became an important player for Bayern Munich, but the Bundesliga have not made the deal permanent having been reluctant to meet the £60 million buy-out clause included in his loan contract. The German outfit opted not to activate their option to buy the 29-year-old defender, allowing Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Barcelona into the race to sign him. Arsenal has now emerged as a prospective candidate that could sign Joao Cancelo. The London club’s coach, Arteta previously worked with the player during his time with Man City. Arteta raided Etihad last summer, signing Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, and could be set to do the same again this year. Both Jesus and Zinchenko helped raise the Gunners’ performance levels drastically as they challenged City for the Premier League title. There is a concern at the Emirates Stadium that the Premier League champions may be reluctant to do business with Arsenal this summer after seeing the positive impact Jesus and Zinchenko had in transforming the north London outfit into title challengers. Despite Arsenal engaging in early talks for the player, Cancelo’s preference has been revealed to be a move to Spain, with Real Madrid and Barcelona the leading candidates. 
Cancelo receiving instruction from Pep Guardiola. Source: Getty A German news outlet reported that Cancelo wishes to join either of the Spanish giants in a deal that could be up to €50 million (£43 million). City is said to be reluctant to sanction another loan deal for the 29-year-old, with the player’s contract expiring in four years having agreed to a two-year extension on his original six-year deal just last summer. Barcelona’s financial situation means they will need to move on a number of players this summer as they prioritize bringing Lionel Messi back to the Nou Camp. Madrid are keen on strengthening their defensive options but are focusing on signing a replacement for Karim Benzema for now. It is also alleged that the Spanish club is prioritizing moves for Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and Harry Kane. This could leave Arsenal with the ability to make a swift move to secure a deal for Cancelo. Although, midfield reinforcements are set to be a bigger priority, with a big-money move to bring Declan Rice to the club thought to be a priority. 
Gundogan celebrates his goal. Source: Getty The FA Cup has been played since 1871, and Man United’s 12 tournament wins trail only Arsenal’s 12. United last won in 2016. The FA Cup has been played since 1871, and Man United’s 12 tournament wins trail only Arsenal’s 12. United last won in 2016. 
Tielemans at a match for Leicester City. Source: Getty He joined Leicester from Monaco on an initial loan deal in January 2019 before signing on a permanent deal for £32 million in July 2019. He made 195 appearances and won the FA Cup during his four-and-a-half-year spell at the King Power Stadium. In his farewell message to fans of Leicester City, Tielemans wrote; 
“Dear Leicester City fans, after 4.5 special years and with a lot of gratitude I’m bidding farewell to this incredible club. “From the first day I set foot on this ground, your warmth and passion embraced me. “Victory and triumph, love, hope and even defeat. We’ve shared many special moments together. I am forever grateful for your unwavering support. “Thank you to Khun Top, the board, the staff, the players and fans for having given me and my family a home. This is not a goodbye, but a heartfelt farewell.” It has been a miserable season for Leicester City, with Dean Smith, hired after Brendan Rodgers was sacked. He however failed to inspire a significant turnaround in form which would have helped them avoid being relegated. While Tielemans’ exit is the only one that has been confirmed, he is not the only Foxes midfielder expected to say goodbye this summer. The consensus is that James Maddison is far too good to be playing Championship football and as a result, will also leave Leicester this summer. 
Xavi Hernandez has accused Manchester City of blocking Joao Cancelo from joining Barcelona which he manages, despite an agreement being reached. Cancelo moved to Bayern Munich on loan in January and has made 15 appearances in the German top-flight league for the Bavarian giants. 
Xavi Hernandez presiding over Barcelona match. Source: Getty In an interview with TV3, Xavi revealed that Joao Cancelo was offered to Barcelona, but the deal was struck out by Manchester City after an agreement was reached. The Barcelona manager said; “We wanted Cancelo. They offered him to us and we gave the OK. In the end, they tell us that Manchester City does not want him to come to Barça. That is true.” 
Cancelo posing with the Bundesliga trophy. Source: Getty At the moment, Bayern Munich are unlikely to activate the €70 million (£62m/$78m) purchase option in Cancelo’s contract, meaning he’s facing an uncertain future. It is also unclear if Barcelona will make a move for him again. 
Manchester City kicked off their Premier League title celebrations with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at the Etihad. Recall that Pep Guardiola’s men clinched a fifth title in six seasons on Saturday, May 20, when second-placed Arsenal were defeated 1-0 by Nottingham Forest. 
Following the title win, Guardiola made nine changes from the side that battered Real Madrid on Wednesday, May 17. Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, John Stones, Jack Grealish, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, and goalkeeper Ederson were all benched. Erling Haaland was rested but Julian Alvarez provided the cutting edge in his absence with a clinical finish to put City ahead after 12 minutes. Kalvin Phillips who made his first Premier League start for City since joining in a £55m deal from Leeds United last summer, came close to doubling City’s lead on the hour mark but he was denied by the post after meeting Riyad Mahrez’s free-kick. 
Alvarez thought he had his brace in the 73rd minute but the goal was disallowed after Mahrez was adjudged to have used a hand in the build-up. The defeat means Chelsea will end a miserable campaign in the bottom half and a familiar lack of cutting edge in front of goal showed why the Blues have struggled under three different managers this season. With finals against Manchester United and Inter Milan to come in the FA Cup and Champions League respectively, City have to keep their focus if they’re to pull off a historic treble. Trending:Another Nigerian lady set to break Guinness World Record as she begins counting of rice grains (Video) 
Manchester City coach, Pep Guardiola reportedly confiscated 60 bottles of champagne which was delivered to his team’s dressing room after they reached the Champions League final following a 4-0 victory over Real Madrid. Recall that after a tense 1-1 draw in the first leg of the semi-final, City tore their Spanish opponents to shreds at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, May 17, to secure a 5-1 aggregate victory. 
It is also believed that Pep Guardiola promised to take his players and their families “out for a celebratory meal and drinks at the end of the season” regardless of if they win any silverware or not. Manchester City, however, now has a silverware as they were crowned winners of the Premier League title for this season following Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, May 20. The next target will be winning the FA Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley on June 3, before turning their attention to the Champions League final against Internazionale Milan in Istanbul a week later. 
Manchester City have won the Premier League title for a fifth time in six seasons after Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, May 20. A first-half strike from Super Eagles star, Taiwo Awoniyi was enough to secure the win at the City Ground, and it also helped Nottingham Forest survive relegation from the Premier League. 
The Gunners set a barnstorming pace this season, but the wheels started to come off in early April when their draw at Anfield kick-started a worrying run of three further games without a win, opening the door for City to close what was recently an eight-point gap.Trending:Another Nigerian lady set to break Guinness World Record as she begins counting of rice grains (Video) Arsenal’s sucker punch landed last weekend when Brighton came away from the Emirates Stadium with a resounding 3-0 victory, on the same day City beat Everton by the same scoreline. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will face Chelsea on Sunday, May 21, in their final home game of the season, where they will once again lift the trophy they have retained for the third season in succession. 
City are now two victories away from completing a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble, a feat only achieved once in English football by Manchester United in 1998/99.