City also try to move on Adebayor and Wright-Phillips
Santa Cruz made eight starts - and earned £6m in wages
Roberto Mancini's gradual easing out of Mark Hughes's signings at Manchester City is accelerating with Roque Santa Cruz likely to be next to join the exodus, the striker poised to rejoin Blackburn Rovers to end an 18-month spell better known for his injuries rather than goals.
Santa Cruz has scored only four times since joining City in July 2009 and Hughes's year-long pursuit to bring him to Eastlands, for £17.5m, now looks to have been one of the more wasteful transfers of modern times.
In total, Santa Cruz started eight games, with another 16 substitute appearances. The Paraguay international has earned around £6m in wages and was so marginalised this season he did not even make Mancini's 25-man squad for the Europa League. Instead the striker would often be seen cycling into the club's practice ground to train on his own.
Lazio have been trying to lure him to Italy but Santa Cruz's family is settled in the north-west of England and he is close to finalising a loan move to return to the club where he scored 23 goals in the 2007-08 campaign, his one season in English football when he has not been troubled by injury issues. If everything goes according to plan, including a stringent medical examination, a deal to the end of the season could go through in time for him to make his debut at Chelsea on Saturday.
Mancini's misgivings about many of the players recruited by Hughes have also led to a loan for Wayne Bridge to West Ham United whereas Mario Balotelli's knee injury will not change the club's stance when it comes to trying to move on Emmanuel Adebayor.
The former Arsenal striker's attitude behind the scenes – he was involved in a training-ground fracas with Kolo Touré last week – is becoming a growing concern to Mancini and City hope a loan deal can be arranged, leading to a permanent transfer at the end of the season.
Mancini has stated that Edin Dzeko will be the only new signing at City in January, but the Italian could be forgiven for wishing that Hughes had not opted against trying harder to tempt Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur when the Welshman was out of the team two years ago.
City discussed Bale's potential availability at great length and Mancini's admiration for the player is clear. "You would need a lot of money [to sign him]," he said. "He is a very expensive player and if Tottenham decide to put him on the market, Bale would be the strongest target in the summer. He is perhaps the only player who is not a striker that can make a difference. Without him, Tottenham lose 50% of their potential."
Michael Johnson has accepted he may have to go out on loan after making his return after a cruciate ligament injury for the reserves on Tuesday night. He last appeared for the first team in October 2009. "We have a lot of world class players. That is why we are second in the league," he said. "It is better for me to go and get games now. Ideally maybe going out somewhere for the rest of the season and getting match fit might be a better option [than staying]."
Birmingham sound out Man City for Wright-Phillips price
Birmingham City are interested in Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Birmingham have made enquiries for Wright-Phillips with City.
The Daily Mail says City want £5million for Wright-Phillips or his £60,000 a week wages paid in full on any loan deal.
Real Madrid are ready to end Emmanuel Adebayor's Manchester City nightmare.The Spanish giants are suddenly desperate to sign a striker in the January transfer window after losing their top centre-forward Gonzalo Higuain for the rest of the season with a serious back injury.
Monaco and Fulham are also interested in the player, and the French club believe they are in with a shout because of the tax-free situation in the principality. But Real manager Jose Mourinho is an admirer of Togo international Adebayor from his days in charge at Chelsea, and crucially, isn't put off by the African's astronomical wages.
Several other clubs have already made firm enquiries about Adebayor, but have been warned that if they want to take him on loan, they must pay his salary in full - a staggering £160,000 a week.
Real are ready to do a loan deal until the end of the season with a view to a permanent transfer, and not only will they pick up the tab for his wages, they will also pay a loan fee of around £1million.
That is something of a result for City, who are desperate to get the out-of-favour forward out of the club, after his spectacular training ground bust-up with skipper Kolo Toure.
Adebayor has barely featured under manager Roberto Mancini, who sees the former Arsenal player as a troublemaker and a disruptive influence on the team spirit he is trying to create.
City are aware of Real's interest and are realistic enough to accept that once Argentina international Higuain is fit again a permanent deal will look less attractive to the Spanish giants.
But the mere fact that he will be playing games for Real in the Champions League will put Adebayor in the shop window, which is an attractive enough option for City.
"In two months, Higuain will be training, in two more, playing. But he won't reach 100 per cent before next season," Mourinho said. "It's what I expected. I wasn't counting on him for this season, so I can't be disappointed."
City want to get their wage bill down after receiving serious warning from UEFA in recent weeks that they must follow the upcoming fair play rules on debt.
After signing Bosnian international Edin Dzeko earlier this week, they have a surplus of top class strikers - and a salary structure to prove it.
Adebayor was in the news recently for a very different reason - a painting of him was seized at Coventry airport, and found to contain almost £3,000 of cannabis hidden behind the frame!
VIDEO SPECIAL: Five fabulous finishes from new Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko
Roberto Mancini has suggested that there will be no more buys this season for Manchester City – but in £27million Edin Dzeko has he saved his best until last?
Strikers Mario Balotelli, Emmanuel Adebayor, Jo and Roque Santa Cruz have all arrived at Eastlands in big money moves in recent years, and for various reasons none have reached the heights that their price tag otherwise suggested.
But the Bosnian looks to be the real deal and could be the man that spurs City towards their first top flight title since 1968. Here Sportsmail looks at five of his best goals that showcase all his talent - Premier League defenders look away now!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... Dzeko.html
WAG OF THE DAY - Danielle Bux
This gorgeous former Virgin Atlantic flight attendant is married to ex-England star Gary Lineker.
Also a model, Bux appeared as a celebrity contestant in the UK version of the TV cooking show Hell’s Kitchen.
OTHER BOLLOX
Arsenal's Spanish keeper Manuel Almunia and Russian forward Andrey Arshavin could both be about to leave the north London club. Metro
Meanwhile Arsenal are set to re-sign England international defender Matthew Upson from West Ham, which could see the Hammers move for Newcastle centre-back Sol Campbell. Daily Mirror
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping to secure a long-term target - Lyon playmaker and France international Yoann Gourcuff this summer. caughtoffside
Liverpool manager Kenny Mumbles is set to make an offer for Blackpool captain and midfielder Charlie Adam who again impressed as the Tangerines beat his side on Wednesday. Daily Mirror
FK Partizan midfielder Radosav Petrovic is attracting the interest of both Manchester United and Tottenham. Metro
Holland international Ricky van Wolfswinkel's move to the Premier League will be delayed until the summer to allow the Utrecht forward time to recover from a collarbone injury. talksport
Chelsea and Liverpool's hopes of signing Roma defender Philippe Mexes have been hit by an injury crisis at AC Milan, the Serie A leaders now favourites to sign the 28-year-old French international. talksport
Stoke City are lining up a £2m bid for Aston Villa defender Curtis Davies. Daily Mail
Cardiff are considering a move to bring back West Ham defender Danny Gabbidon who has failed to agree a new contract with the Premier League club and will be free in the summer. Daily Mail
Blackpool are keen to sign Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey on loan. talksport
Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony has hit out at Aston Villa's bid for goalkeeper Joe Lewis, saying he is going nowhere unless they offer a much bigger fee. talkSPORT
QPR want Blackburn's Jason Roberts to replace striker Jamie Mackie, who broke his leg at the weekend (Daily Express).
Nottingham Forest defender Kelvin Wilson says he wants to move to Celtic as soon as possible despite having signed a pre-contract agreement to join them in the summer. Daily Mail
Tottenham's Welsh midfielder Gareth Bale says he would like to play in a Great Britain 2012 Olympic football team despite the Football Association of Wales saying they are not interested in taking part. Independent
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is considering dropping out-of-form star striker Didier Drogba for Saturday's match with Blackburn. Daily Mirror
Liverpool are in talks with Roma coach Claudio Ranieri and could offer the 59-year-old the managerial post at Anfield in the summer.
Full story: caughtoffside
Reynald Temarii, the former president of the Oceania Football Confederation, is confident of overturning his 12-month suspension from Fifa's executive committee for ethics violations. (Associated Press)
Derby insist manager Nigel Clough's job is safe despite a run of seven defeats in nine games that included being dumped out of the FA Cup by Crawley. Full story: Independent
John Hartson could start his managerial career at Newport County after Dean Holdsworth quit to take over at Aldershot. (Daily Mail).
Martin O'Neill has ruled himself out of the running as a possible successor to Avram Grant as West Ham manager, leaving Sam Allardyce and Chris Hughton in the frame if West Ham chose to make a change. Daily Express
Blackburn boss Steve Kean says they will investigate claims El Hadji Diouf taunted QPR's Jamie Mackie as he lay on the ground with a broken leg in their FA Cup tie on Saturday. The Sun
Black Cats boss Steve Bruce will turn DJ and play a mystery record over the Stadium Of Light's PA system to get his revenge on Newcastle if his Sunderland side win this weekend's Tyne-Wear derby. Daily Mirror
Stoke striker Tuncay has put a video compilation of his goals on his Facebook page in an effort to try and find a new club. Daily Star
Former Rangers striker Nacho Novo says Ibrox boss Walter Smith is being a telephone agony aunt as he struggles at the foot of the Spanish league table with Sporting Gijon (Daily Record).
