rumours swirling on Shay Given and Diego

A litany of media sources are reporting two major moves by Manchester City that while formally unsubstantiated by the club have been independently validated as factual. While there are still a number of players linked to a move to the Citizens, it is expected that the club will proceed with a £25m offer for Diego from Bundesliga side Werder Bremen and £12m plus bid for Newcastle's extraordinary 'keeper Shay Given.

With regards to Diego, the stylish Brazilian play-maker has been linked to a move to a number of clubs including Juventus and Real Madrid but most clubs have hesitated with his heavy price-tag. While there is no doubting his ability with the finest of clubs as an ex-teammate of Robinho's at Santos and a good friend, it offers further benefits of pulling the club together.

As it relates to Shay Given, this is more than a morsel of opportunistic bargaining and City is dangling a cash lifeline to the Balance Sheet troubled Newcastle. It's a blood letting on this one because as a number of clubs in the Premier League, Newcastle isn't merely fighting for points to avoid relegation but dealing with a very troubling financial position. While they begrudge the thought of bidding farewell to the Republic of Ireland who has been with the club for twelve years, his sale could possibly allow them to make some late moves and hold the line against relegation. This is a slippery slope for City because if they are to garner his services, they will likely need to offer cash, possibly a replacement for the 'keeper as his backup Steve Harper is the subject of a great deal of attention and sufficient time for Newcastle to orchestrate their own deals. The key to this deal might be effectively a more complex deal with much needed cash and a series of players on-loan.

Expect this and other deals to be turned up to high on the burner this week.