Official Bollox
There are suggestions this morning that the Blues are prepared to break the British transfer record this summer in order to secure the signature of Napoli’s Edinson Cavani.
Meanwhile, The Express claims the club are also considering making a move for Bayern Munich’s Mario Gomez.
“With Edin Dzeko and Carlos Tevez continually linked with moves abroad, Roberto Mancini is desperate to make a big-name signing or two,” reports Charles Perrin.
“Mario Gomez could become a possibility if Robert Lewandowski makes the switch from Dortmund to Bayern.
“Spanish transfer site Fichajes.net suggests that Bayern may push Gomez out to facilitate Lewandowski's arrival.
“They also note that with Balotelli leaving last month to join AC Milan, Gomez could feature quite high on Mancini's wish list.”
Finally for now on this Saint Valentine’s Day, City boys Micah Richards and Joleon Lescott are subject of a special ‘bromantic blog.’
“We thought we would look at a celebrity pairing that has been bubbling away for some time now, and is more than deserving of its place in the Bromantic Spotlight,” claims The Stag Company.
“So, step forward Manchester City’s very own defensive bromigos Joleon Lescott and Micah Richards!
“Any bromance worth its salt would see all parties involved singing the other’s praises, and this is a shining example of a bromance at its strongest and it’s most beautiful.”
£52m Ed boy! City to break record for Napoli ace Cavani and also eye Bhoys star Wanyama
Manchester City are ready to begin a £60million-plus overhaul of their squad with summer moves for Napoli’s Edinson Cavani and Celtic’s Victor Wanyama.
Manager Roberto Mancini and football director Txiki Begiristain have recognised the need to freshen up the under-performing Barclays Premier League champions and will offload at least four players to help satisfy the demands of UEFA’s financial fair play guidelines.
City opened talks over a move for Napoli’s prolific forward Cavani last month and were initially put off by his £52m release clause.
However, with Chelsea in pole position for Atletico Madrid’s Colombian superstar Radamel Falcao, City have returned to the Uruguay international and are prepared to break the British transfer record to sign him.
Cavani is currently Serie A’s leading scorer with 18 goals, helping his club to second place, five points behind leaders and the defending champions Juventus.
Both Napoli and Cavani’s representatives are aware of City’s intention to pursue the 25-year-old during the summer transfer window. But Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are also poised to bid.
Mancini missed out on signing Robin van Persie from Arsenal last summer and has bemoaned the fact ever since.
City have fallen 12 points behind neighbours Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League title race.
And the club’s hierarchy are determined not to miss out on another top target.
City will help offset their outlay by selling £25m-rated striker Edin Dzeko in the summer.
The 26-year-old Bosnia forward is wanted in Italy and Germany and is keen to kickstart his career after playing a supporting role this season.
He will be followed by other big-name sacrifices as City also look to bring in a new centre back and defensive midfielder.
Meanwhile, Celtic powerhouse Wanyama was watched by City scouts on Tuesday night against Juventus and they were joined in the crowd by representatives from Chelsea and Arsenal.
The Kenyan, who impressed despite playing the second half with an injured ankle, has also been watched by Manchester United.
He is valued at £10m, however the 21-year-old has only 16 months left on his contract and will be eager to join City’s all-star squad.
Manchester City and Arsenal target Stephan El Shaarawy, 20, is set to sign a new deal that will keep the striker at AC Milan until the summer of 2018. talkSHIT
Eriksson regret over lost talent of troubled Johnson
Former Manchester City has said he hopes ex-Blues midfielder Michael Johnson 'will find himself again" after his release from the Etihad.
Didi Hamann once told Sven-Goran Eriksson about the best midfielder he has ever played alongside.
The former City man did not pick out Lothar Matthaus, who captained West Germany to World Cup glory, was capped 150 times for his country and named World Footballer of the Year in 1991.
He had no words for Steven Gerrard, one of the Premier League greats, and a stalwart for Liverpool for so many years. And he did not single out Xabi Alonso, who showed his brilliance in Liverpool’s march to European glory in 2005 and has since become a mainstay for Real Madrid.
No, the man Hamann said was the pick of his midfield partners ended up playing just 37 Premier League games before he was beset by illness and appeared to draw his own career to a conclusion just before Christmas. That man is Michael Johnson, and Eriksson – who was his manager for the majority of his City appearances – has spoken of his sadness at a sparkling career unfulfilled.
Eriksson tried to help Johnson get back on track when he was manager at Leicester, taking the lad on loan for seven uneventful games. When Eriksson left the Foxes, so did Johnson, and he has not played since, with City terminating his contract in December.
Speaking to Swedish newspaper Expressen, Eriksson said: “I had him as a young gun at City and everyone was talking about him as the next big star in the English national team.
“But then he got injured for a long time and after that, something happened. I’ve heard about his problem outside the pitch, with alcohol. I hope he will find himself again. When he came back from injury, he was with the reserves – after that I brought him to Leicester but it wasn’t working out.
“When I left Leicester, they told him to leave the club.
“He is a really nice boy, I like him, and it’s sad he isn’t playing.
“Didi Hamann said he was the best midfielder he ever played with. Well, you can understand that – he was a very talented boy.”
All aboard! Man City's Hart, Kompany and Mancini voice new tram announcements
"This is Roberto Mancini from Manchester City. This is the Droylsden service. The next stop will be the Etihad Campus"
Manchester City's stars have swapped the goal line for the East Manchester line this week after they lent their voices to the city's new Metrolink route.
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Boss Roberto Mancini has joined keeper Joe Hart, skipper Vincent Kompany and midfielder James Milner to record passenger announcements for the tram service on matchdays.
They will debut this weekend when the champions take on Leeds United in the FA Cup at the Etihad.
Best of the bunch is Mancini, who tells travellers in his thick Italian accent: "This is Roberto Mancini from Manchester City. This is the Droylsden service. The next stop will be the Etihad Campus."
Blues' skipper Vincent Kompany says: "This is your captain speaking. This is the Bury service and that the next stop will be Piccadilly."
The Etihad Campus stop, which provides a link to the stadium via a walkway, opened on Monday.
Steve Sayer, Director of Operations for Manchester City said: “The new Metrolink service will greatly improve access to the Etihad Stadium for supporters on match days and other visitors to the Etihad Campus during the week.
“It’s a nice touch for the fans that some of our star players and manager will announce on the way to our home stadium to get everyone in the mood for the match."
Kompany: "The next stop will be Piccadilly"
The Etihad Campus stop is the third stop from Manchester Piccadilly. The voiced stops are Piccadilly (Vincent Kompany), New Islington (Joe Hart), Holt Town (James Milner) and Etihad Campus (Roberto Mancini).
Peter Cushing, Transport for Greater Manchester’s Metrolink Director, added: “We are grateful to Roberto, Joe, Vincent and James for taking time out of their busy schedules to record these messages.
“We know that the Etihad Campus stop is going to be a very popular destination – especially on match days – and we thought this will be an interesting addition to people’s journeys before and after the game.
“This new stop is an important part of our new East Manchester line which will eventually run from Bury via Manchester Piccadilly to Ashton-under-Lyne.”
MCF.net THREAD: viewtopic.php?f=119&t=45230
Real Madrid chase Manchester City's David Silva
Manchester City's Spanish midfielder David Silva has emerged as a summer transfer window target for Real Madrid, according to the Daily Express.
Silva has established himself as one of the finest playmakers in the Premier League since his transfer to Manchester City in 2011, but his influence has not been enough to keep the champions in touch with leaders Manchester United this season.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is a reported to be a long-term admirer of Silva, and has identified the Manchester City star as potentially key acquisition for the summer transfer period.
The end of the season will bring about fresh presidential elections at the Santiago Bernabeu, and moving for a player of Silva's calibre will no doubt enhance Perez's credentials of another term.
Silva, however, is reported to have a sizeable release clause written into his contract with Manchester City, and Madrid may be tempted to focus on Gareth Bale rather than prising the 27-year-old from the Etihad Stadium.
Bale, it has been claimed this week, is the top target for Real Madrid when the transfer window opens again, and reports in Spain have suggested contact has already been made with representatives of the Tottenham winger.
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[/spoiler]Hammers close to end of Tevez affair
West Ham are paying Sheffield United compensation over the Carlos Tevez affair
West Ham are close to drawing a line under the costly Carlos Tevez affair with their final payment to Sheffield United to be made before the summer, it can be disclosed.
The Hammers agreed an £18.1million compensation deal with Sheffield United in 2009 over Tevez's role in keeping the London club in the Premier League in 2007 at the expense of the Blades.
Under the compensation deal, the payments were staggered until 2013 - the Blades' latest accounts confirm that, and that a loan from Santander bank was taken out in 2010 secured against the payments from West Ham. As of June last year, the amount guaranteed stood at £8.5million, and the final £6million payment is due by July.
West Ham were fined £5million by a Premier League inquiry for breaching rules governing third-party ownership, but controversially no points were deducted and Tevez was permitted to play in the final three games of the season.
The club claimed they had unilaterally terminated their third-party agreement with the players' advisors, a consortium headed by Kia Joorabchian.
Tevez scored in the final match of the season as the Hammers survived and Sheffield United were relegated.
The Blades took the case to an independent tribunal which ruled that Tevez had been ineligible to play.
Third-party ownership of players is prohibited in English football - on the basis that if one person or company owns a number of players at different clubs it can lead to conflicts of interest.
UEFA has now pledged to introduce the same ban across Europe though there is opposition from some clubs, especially in Portugal and Italy, against such a move.
But UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said: "We think this should be the case all over the world, certainly all over Europe. If FIFA will not do it, we will certainly do it as far as Europe is concerned."
Barcelona boss Tito Vilanova has made Chelsea's Brazilian defender David Luiz, 25, his number one summer target. Daily Star
Celtic striker Gary Hooper, 25 - who was the subject of five failed bids from Norwich during the January transfer window - wants to move to Tottenham in the summer. Metro
Sunderland are keen on Zambia international centre-half Stoppila Sunzu, 23, who is also attracting interest from Reading. Sunderland Echo
Tottenham defender William Gallas, 35, looks set to leave the club when his current contract expires this summer, with manager Andre Villas-Boas believing that his squad has too many centre-backs. The Guardian
West Ham's hopes of landing Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Bony, 24, from Vitesse Arnhem, are fading after he signalled his desire to join a Russian club this month. talkSHIT
Liverpool have enquired about Sampdoria's 19-year old striker Mauro Icardi, who is also being watched by Tottenham and Manchester City, but looks poised to join Inter Milan. DSSC
Liverpool tried to sign Hungary winger Balazs Dzsudzsak, 26, during the January transfer window but Dynamo Moscow refused to sell.
Metro
Brazil star Leandro Damiao, 23, is keen on a move to Italy this summer despite interest from Spurs for the Internacional striker in the last four transfer windows. Daily Star
Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote, 26, is set to be available for Thursday's Europa League tie against Metalist Kharkiv despite being arrested near Newcastle's training ground on suspicion of fraud. The Sun
Swansea manager Michael Laudrup will begin contract talks with the club's board in the coming days - his current deal expires at the end of next season. DSSC
The Football League is planning to outlaw the practice that allowed Watford to field seven loan players in their recent match against Crystal Palace. Daily Telegraph
Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, 35, says he would love to return to the club in some capacity when his stint in the MLS with New York Red Bulls comes to an end. DSSC
Bradford City have been given permission by the Football League to have two mascots for their Capital One Cup final meeting with Swansea City later this month, meaning nine-year-old cancer survivor Jake Turton can lead his local team out at Wembley. Daily Telegraph
Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is taking a keen interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers after his Birmingham-based sparring partner Joe Egan told him of comments from Wolves manager Dean Saunders likening the club's current plight to that of Tyson. The Sun
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