Manchester City to Make £40m Move for Manchester United Winger Nani
Manchester City are reportedly considering making a move to sign Manchester United winger Nani after hearing of the Portuguese international’s attempts to secure a more lucrative contract at the Old Trafford club. The 24 year old attacker has been in fine form this season and many sources believe that he is attempting to renegotiate a deal that will bring his earnings on a par with some of his higher earning team-mates, however the Premier League table toppers are unwilling to offer a new deal just one season into his current four year contract.
Man City boss Roberto Mancini has been looking to bring in more creative midfielders to balance the more brittle elements of his Eastlands squad and the Italian will look to make a swoop similar to the one that saw the capture of Carlos Tevez from their local rivals last summer.
City are willing to offer up to £40m for Nani but it seems that it may take a huge salary offer to persuade the flair player to leave Man United and even then it would be a big shock if he left the title chasing side for Man City this summer.
Nani is reportedly currently earning around £60k a week and whilst he was not expecting to be on the kind of mega deal Wayne Rooney has secured he is looking for parity with Bulgarian international Dimitar Berbatov who is earning around £100k a week. Given that the former Sporting Lisbon man has provided the most assists in the entire Premier League, such a demand seems a fair one.
Whilst it’s true that following his arrival at Man United in 2007 Nani was hidden under Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow somewhat, he has now begun to show just how crucial a player he is to the club’s ambitions of securing significant silverware. Caught lying offside
On the Bench with ... John Guidetti, a Striker to Watch at Manchester City
No matter how talented they may be, it is tough for young players to break into the Premier League..
And at Manchester City, a club with enough cash to buy the best in the world, life is even more difficult for emerging players who have their sights set on the first team.
Few have made the grade, with Micah Richards and Michael Johnson among those who have broken through in recent years.
Now John Guidetti is hoping he can be another to rise through the youth ranks at Eastlands and force his way into Roberto Mancini's plans.
The young Sweden striker has illustrated what he can do by scoring 14 times in 14 games for his country's under-19 side.
And, while Guidetti, 18, is far from the finished article, he showed his quality with a marvellous goal scored against Malmo while he was on loan at IF Brommapojkarna last year.
He also scored at Barnsley during a loan spell this season with Championship promotion-chasers Burnley, when he proved he can cope with life in the second tier. Burnley wanted to keep the teenage striker but a change of manager, with Brian Laws leaving his post at Turf Moor, saw him return to Manchester City.
Recruited to Eastlands by former manager and fellow countryman Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2008, Stockholm-born Guidetti has been a regular in the reserve side this season.
He said: "I've got a bit of first-team action as I've been training with them and I've played in the Carling Cup and in pre-season games. I've also been in the Premier League squad a couple of times.
"Of course I want to play, but I've been lucky because I've played in the reserve games and the opposition usually puts out a very strong side against us.
"When we played Manchester United, they had first-team players with the likes of Anderson and Michael Carrick so it was a very strong team.
"It was the same against Wigan and the last time we played against Newcastle they had Sol Campbell and Steven Taylor as defenders, who had been regulars for their first-team. That's been a good challenge for me."
There's no doubt Guidetti has a long way ahead of him, but if he keeps up his impressive goal ratio for club and country expect him to be knocking on the door that bit harder at Eastlands next season.
Manchester City's swoop for Feyenoord starlet Karim Rekik branded 'stupid' by Dutch club
Manchester City’s attempts to sign Feyenoord starlet Karim Rekik have been labelled “stupid for all involved” by the Dutch club.
The 16-year-old centre-back, rated as one of the brightest prospects in Holland, is thought to be close to signing a four-year deal at Eastlands after Manchester City overcame interest from Juventus and Inter Milan.
Rekik is yet to sign a professional contract with Feyenoord and the club are furious at the idea of losing one of their most promising talents for nothing, though general manager Eric Gudde believes the ultimate victim will be the player himself.
“This is unfortunate for Feyenoord and the supporters,” he said. “But in most cases, these moves do not work out, especially for the boy himself. If you look at the statistics, the majority end in huge disappointment for the player.
"Even players who leave Holland when they have built a career here and played for the national side find it difficult abroad. Signing a 16 year-old is simply stupid, for all involved.”
Meanwhile, City manager Roberto Mancini believes his side can channel the spirit of English football’s history of famous comebacks to beat Dynamo Kiev and earn a place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
City are 2-0 down after the first leg and face a struggle to reach the last eight. “Two nil is not a good result,” said the Italian.
“But English teams are famous in the past for recovering these results. We will have all of our supporters here and we want to try.”
The Italian’s confidence is shared by Shaun Wright-Phillips, who is certain City will be able to ensure a memorable night at Eastlands – providing the £100 million of attacking talent Mancini has at his disposal can convert their chances.
“We feel we can turn the Kiev game around,” said the midfielder. “If we create a couple of chances and take them it becomes a whole different ball game. You never know what might happen.”
Whether Wright-Phillips gets the chance to help City reach the quarter-finals remains to be seen.
“Everyone is part of the rotation system so everyone is just waiting for their chance to do what they have to do,” he said.
WAG OF THE DAY
Anastasia Kosenkova is one of the hottest foreign WAGS of the Premier League, the blonde bombshell is the wife of former Arsenal, Barcelona and now Birmingham midfielder Alexander Hleb.
The Belarusian couple married in 2008, but Anastaisa decided not to take her husband’s surname as she is a star in her own right being a former member of Belarusian girl band, ‘Topless’.
OTHER BOLLOX
England winger Ashley Young has told friends he wants to leave Aston Villa. A source close to the 25-year-old said: "Villa are showing no sign of breaking into the top four and Ashley knows he has to think about playing at the very top if he wants to become an England regular before the 2012 European Championships." the Sun
Chelsea are close to finalising a deal to sign Sao Paulo forward Lucas Piazon when he turns 18. The Blues are poised to beat off competition from Juventus for the player dubbed 'the new Kaka'. He is currently playing for Brazil in the South American Under-17 Championship. (Press Association)
Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda has quashed rumours he is on the verge of a switch to Manchester United. Mandanda was in the French club's team as they lost 2-1 to United in the second leg of the last-16 Champions League tie on Tuesday. Daily Mirror
Everton manager David Moyes has conceded Jack Rodwell could join Manchester United in the summer if Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson offers the right amount of money for the talented midfielder. metro.co.uk
Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner will turn down Blackburn's £15m bid to sign him this summer, with the Dane preferring a switch to Germany. Borussia Dortmund and Hamburg are possible options. Daily Mail
Chelsea have started negotiations in an attempt to land Belgian teenagers Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne. A £3.5m bid for RC Genk attacking midfielder De Bruyne has been reportedly accepted, while Anderlecht are looking for at least £17.5m for their 18-year-old striker. Daily Telegraph
Juventus and Fiorentina are locked in a battle to sign Bolton striker Johan Elmander, who is out of contract in the summer. talkSPORT
Thomas Sorensen is set to reject any moves in the summer, when he becomes a free agent, and re-sign for Stoke, even though he is now only their number two keeper. Daily Mirror
West Bromwich Albion are weighing up a move for Queens Park Rangers striker Adel Taarabt and Crystal Palace's 18-year-old forward Wilfred Zaha. Baggies boss Roy Hodgson watched the pair in QPR's 2-1 win over Palace at Loftus Road on Saturday. Daily Mail
The England captaincy saga was plunged into farce and confusion last night as Fabio Capello told Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand he still has the armband after all and that Chelsea's John Terry is only a stand-in. Daily Mirror
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho does not fear defeat in Wednesday's Champions League second leg match with Lyon. With the teams locked at 1-1, the former Inter Milan boss said: "Last year Barcelona was obsessed with playing the final in Madrid. At Inter we were not obsessed, we just had hope. If we work well we will win the competition - if not this year then next. We will fight for it this year but if it doesn't happen, that's not a serious problem. A serious problem is what is happening in Japan." the Guardian
Chelsea striker Fernando Torres is set for a place on the substitutes' bench against Copenhagen in Wednesday's Champions League tie at Stamford Bridge. Having failed to score in his first five games for the London club since his £50m move from Liverpool, Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti said: "The only problem is that he is a new player for us and he has to know our kind of play better." the Sun
Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has said he is confident he can help Arsenal win the Premier League title this season as negotiations continue over his possible return to north London. metro.co.uk
Former Liverpool and Inter Milan boss Rafael Benitez is being lined up for a shock return to his old club Valencia. talkSPORT
Former Rangers full-back Arthur Numan has landed a scouting role with PSV Eindhoven but has refused to accept the post until the two teams have completed Thursday's Europa League match in Glasgow. A source close to the Dutchman said: Arthur has an emotional connection with both clubs. He developed a real bond with Rangers [he joined in 1998] and did not want to play any part in working against them." (Daily Record)
Arsenal fans are being hit with a big increase in ticket prices - even though the Gunners are not splashing out on players. The 7,000 club-level supporters at the Emirates have been told there will be a 6.5% increase for next season and there are fears the club will impose an across-the-board rise. Daily Mirror
