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Okay, let me walk you through my weird Wednesday trying to nail down this City rumor. Woke up stupid early, like 3 AM, because my brain wouldn’t switch off after seeing some vague tweets hinting at a “major shock target” for City. Coffee pot became my best friend right then, strong stuff.
First thing, I hit up the usual sources. Like, every single one. Phone calls, encrypted chats, group DMs you wouldn’t believe exist. Mostly got the usual shrugs or recycled gossip about Rodrigo – yeah, that €150 million one from back in March everyone knows about. Frustrating. I needed the secret sauce.
Around dawn, just when I was about to give up and maybe stare blankly at the wall, my phone buzzes. It’s one of those contacts who usually sits on info like a dragon on gold. Deep breath before I tap open the message. Pure adrenaline rush. The name wasn’t Rodrygo, wasn’t Camavinga everyone suddenly links them with – though that €40 million+ figure mentioned in the older Camavinga whispers sounds way too cheap now, huh? And it definitely wasn’t Cambiaso where they’re apparently €20 million apart like those talks with Juventus hinted recently.
No, this was left-field. Way left. My first thought? “You gotta be joking, mate.” But the details… specific enough to tingle my spider-sense. Involved Guardiola personally pushing, talks apparently started months back but kept under crazy tight wraps. The why this player? That was the juicy bit the source hinted at but wouldn’t fully spill.
Next few hours were chaos, man. Me trying to:
- Corroborate: Called two other people in the know. One heard whispers months ago about this specific position being monitored intensely, but no name. Bingo. That aligned.
- Context: Dug through every transfer snippet remotely related. Remembered seeing something about this player’s club situation having… potential movement? But it was buried deep. € figures mentioned were big, like eye-watering big, way past Cambiaso territory.
- Get more: Bounced the name off a third source. Silence. Then “Let me get back to you.” Which, in this game, is sometimes as good as a “Yeah, you’re onto something.”
By mid-morning, I felt like I’d run a marathon. Had notes everywhere, browser tabs open like a mad scientist – history searches for Rodrigo, Camavinga, Cambiaso, the works – trying to understand the fit. Why would City drop potentially record cash on this guy? The tactical angle is what makes this wild. It wasn’t plugging a glaring hole everyone talks about; it was more… opportunistic ambition?
Started drafting the update. Rewrote the intro five times trying to capture the sheer unexpectedness of it without just blurting it out. Wanted it to feel like the reveal it is. Ended up focusing on Pep’s personal drive for it – that felt like the key takeaway, the why it might actually happen, even if it feels bonkers.
Hit publish finally, after like triple-checking the phrasing. Instant butterflies. Then? My friggin’ dishwasher decided today was the day to leak all over the kitchen floor. Spent the afternoon battling plumbing instead of refreshing Twitter stats. Typical.
So yeah, that’s my practice record for today. One secret target uncovered through persistence and weird timing, leading to a mix of minor triumph and major domestic flooding. This job is glamorous, I tell you. Anyone asking me about potential new signings later gets the reply “Mate, I literally had plumbing water on my face.” This is the real insider life!