Roberto Mancini keen on Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko
'If Inter decide to sell Balotelli we will be there'
Manchester City are interested in the Inter striker Mario Balotelli if he becomes available. Photograph: Matteo Bazzi/EPA
The Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini, has said he will bid for Mario Balotelli should Internazionale opt to sell the highly rated striker.
Balotelli is under contract with the Italian champions for three more seasons but failed to hold down a regular starting berth under the former Inter manager José Mourinho last season.
The 19-year-old is believed to be a target for the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal, but Mancini, with the backing of billionaire owners behind him, is preparing himself to enter any bidding war.
"We are always interested in good players," Mancini told the Italian newspaper Il Giornale. "If Inter decide to sell [Balotelli], we will be there."
Balotelli was dropped from Inter's team for several games last season by Mourinho, who criticised the player's attitude, but Mancini is concerned only with the player's abilities on the pitch.
"I have no problems," said Mancini. "The most important thing is that they are good, so that they go on the pitch and play well."
Mancini also confirmed he is keeping an eye on the Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko, who was the top scorer in the Bundesliga last season and has long been linked with a move to one of Europe's elite clubs. "Certainly Dzeko is more than just an interest," Mancini revealed.
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