MARCOS LOPES has joined Monaco on a permanent deal from Manchester City - moments after manager Manuel Pellegrini suggested the player would be leaving on loan.
City have confirmed that the highly-rated youngster, who spent last season at Lille, has moved to the Ligue 1 side in a deal thought to be worth around £9million. The news came just minutes after Pellegrini, speaking in his weekly press conference, had said the move would be a temporary one.
Pellegrini said: "Marcos is still a player here for Manchester City. We will see his future in the next hours.
"I think Marcos needs to play more in another club. He is a very good player. I am sure in the future he will be part of our club, but for this year he must continue trying to play as much football as he can. Here, he has a lot of competition with David [Silva] and Samir [Nasri], so it is better for him to go on loan."
That information was soon obsolete as City announced the 20-year-old Portuguese midfielder was moving on.
"Marcos Lopes has joined AS Monaco on a permanent deal," City announced.
Lopes was regarded as one of City's most promising youngsters, but made just five appearances after joining the club from Benfica in 2011. He made an immediate impact with a goal on his debut - becoming City's youngest-ever goalscorer at 17 years and nine days - in an FA Cup tie against Watford in January 2013.
The speed his move was concluded at may even have caught out some of his team-mates, with Lopes tweeting: "Sorry I couldn't say proper bye to my mates MCFC but I'm sure our ways will meet again sometime soon. I know you will win many titles!"
Manchester City are without striker Wilfried Bony for the visit of Watford in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday. Bony suffered a cut leg in training and has been pictured wearing a protective boot, but he is expected to be fit after the upcoming international break. Midfielder Fernando (groin) should also be back for the next game against Crystal Palace on September 12.
Full-backs Pablo Zabaleta (groin) and Gael Clichy (ankle) remain on the sidelines, with the latter likely to be out another six to seven weeks. New signing Nicolas Otamendi, who did not play at Everton last week as he awaited his work permit, is still not available.
Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores, meanwhile, is hopeful of securing further signings, but remains coy on the Hornets' links with Rennes midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Watford have started brightly on their return to the Premier League with three draws from three games, including points taken against Everton and Southampton. Off the pitch, however, Flores admitted he is facing a nervy wait to put the finishing touches to his squad.
The Hornets have already made more than 10 signings in the summer, while a few more ins and outs are expected, with Flores saying: "We are working very hard to incorporate a couple of players."
When asked specifically about interest in Doucoure, who made his Ligue 1 debut in the 2012-13 season but who has made just one appearance this campaign, Flores added: "I know this player but I don't like to talk about names until it's sure that they are coming.
"There are lot of players in our squad who don't know if they are going to stay or going to move out. They need to solve the future. For me it's not comfortable. I'm not happy at the moment.
"I hope everything will be solved this week. The players we can keep, we keep finally with us; players that have to come, they come, and the players that have to go, they go to good teams. I'm not happy - it's not a good moment for me."
Flores and Pellegrini have crossed paths in La Liga previously, Flores as a former Valencia and Atletico Madrid manager, Pellegrini as an ex-Real Madrid, Villarreal and Malaga boss.
Flores is looking forward their latest meeting, and said: "I don't remember exactly all the games against Pellegrini. I respect Pellegrini like a person, like a coach.
"I played a lot of times against Villarreal, Real Madrid, with Atletico Madrid, with Valencia. In these type of games, I always remember a tough competition. We won sometimes, Pellegrini won sometimes. It was balanced.
"We are working in the same way, we respect the profession, each other and the managers. I love football, I love the style of football where players can play well. So it's respect."
