City striker Negredo suffers broken foot, expected to miss 'a few months'

Manchester City will be without the services of striker Alvaro Negredo to begin the upcoming season, as the Spaniard has been felled by a fractured metatarsal.

Negredo, 28, suffered the injury in Friday's friendly match against Hearts, leaving prior to halftime with what the team was hoping was only a minor knock.

However, the striker took to his Instagram account to provide the photo evidence that he will indeed be on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.

The photo was accompanied by the following message:

I want to let you know that it's going to be hard for the next few months, I fractured my 5th metatarsal and will be out a few months. I will be back stronger than ever.

Negredo has been the subject of transfer speculation this summer, as City are expected to offload a non-homegrown player at some point in order to make room for the seemingly imminent signing of defender Eliaquim Mangala from Porto.

With the club being limited to 17 non-homegrown players in the Premier League and 16 in the Champions League as a result of their inability to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, the signing of Mangala would push them over the limit.

That said, this untimely injury looks destined to rule out any move for the striker, meaning relief will have to come elsewhere - possibly in the form of midfielder Javi Garcia, who has struggled to acclimatize himself to the EPL after arriving from Benfica in 2012.

Whoever it is, moves need to be made before the defending champions begin their campaign. The Citizens begin their title defense on Aug. 17, when they visit Newcastle.