City will give the January sales a miss

MANCHESTER CITY have no plans to go into the transfer market in January. Pep Guardiola’s squad will be bolstered in the New Year by the arrival of Brazilian wonderkid Gabriel Jesus. The 19-year-old was signed from Palmeiras for £27million in the summer and then loaned back to the Sao Paulo-based club for six months. But Sunday Mirror Sport understands the City boss has told Director of Football Txiki Begiristain that he does not want any further new faces. That will come as a huge boost for skipper Vincent Kompany, whose continuing injury problems have led to speculation City will move for Juventus centre-back Leonardo Bonucci. Even if out-of-favour Yaya Toure does go this winter, there are no replacements lined up for the Ivorian midfielder. City spent £180million in the summer, but highly-rated players like Jesus, Marlos Moreno, Geronimo Rulli and Oleksandr Zinchenko have continued their development at other clubs. There are seven players in the final year of their contracts at the Etihad and Guardiola is trying to manage an evolution rather than revolution. Only midfielder Fernandinho has been offered extended terms, and the 31-year-old Brazilian is close to signing a new two-year deal. Summer signings like John Stones, Ilkay Gundogan, Claudio Bravo, Nolito and Leroy Sane are still settling in, and the players Guardiola inherited from Manuel Pellegrini are learning a new way of playing that fits in with the Catalan’s philosophy. City sent big names like Joe Hart and Wilfried Bony on loan because Guardiola could not find room for them in his Premier League and Champions League squads. And the club’s hierarchy are keen to avoid the same problem during the winter transfer window.