Manchester City will have to pay at least £26 million to land David Luiz, the Benfica defender, during the January transfer window after the Portuguese club reportedly rejected an offer of £17 million from Chelsea.
Both Premier League sides are believed to be keen on the Brazil international but the Portuguese champions are adamant they will not reduce the asking price, despite their elimination from the Champions League.
Roberto Mancini, the City manager, is thought to have identified Luiz — for whom he had a £15 million bid rejected in the summer — as his primary defensive reinforcement for next month as he looks to build a squad capable of overhauling Manchester United at the top of the Premier League.
The Brazilian, capable of playing at either left back or in the centre of defence, has a £43 million buy-out clause in his contract and Benfica are thought to be keen to retain his services until the summer.
City hope to unite Luiz with the Bosnian international striker Edin Dzeko, another long-term target. City are thought to have agreed a fee with Wolfsburg of around £30 million, while personal terms are not expected to pose a problem.
The forward may even join the City squad soon enough to feature for Mancini when his side travel to Arsenal next week.
The completion of that deal is likely to end Emmanuel Adebayor’s troubled career at Eastlands, with the club willing to listen to loan offers for the former Arsenal striker.
Adebayor has been ostracised by Mancini, having featured just once, in the Europa League, since Nov 10, and has now been added to the long list of players City hope to move on in the next few weeks.
City paid Arsenal £25 million for the striker last summer and it is thought they would not countenance a permanent sale unless they were able to recoup a substantial portion of that fee.
Roque Santa Cruz is also expected to leave Eastlands next month, though the Paraguayan striker on Thursday turned down the chance to spend the next six months on loan at Lazio. Though the club occupy a Champions League berth in Serie A, the former Blackburn forward is believed to favour a permanent move.
Both Mark Hughes, his former manager at Eastlands and Ewood Park, and Stoke’s Tony Pulis are believed to be monitoring his situation.
“We take into account Santa Cruz’s reaction and his desire to make any transfer permanent,” the Lazio president, Claudio Lotito, said. “We are aware of this and consider it a wise decision for him.”
Despite the threat of a number of players leaving the club in the next four weeks, City’s assistant manager, Brian Kidd, insisted he would not swap the squad at his and Mancini’s disposal for any in the Premier League.
Though Kidd was also at pains to stress that he believes that the depth of resources means his side can win the league title this season, he feels the championship’s destiny is very much in the hands of his former employers across the city.
“It’s obviously Manchester United’s to lose now,” he said. “It is in their hands. They have been round the block and know how to win league titles. Their work is not done in January.
“Everyone gets kidded that they hit form about now but they start with their preparation in July and go on from that.”
Juve in for Bridge!!
http://www.insidefutbol.com/2010/12/31/ ... dge/34815/
Unspectacular mind reading from MuEN
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchesterevening ... _city_list
Premier League title is Man Utd's to lose, admits Kidd
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 329189.stm
WAG OF THE DAY - Romanella Amato
Amato was the world’s youngest WAG in 2008 at age 16 when she was dating then-26-year-old Real Madrid striker Javier Saviola.
Not sure if that's legal in his native Argentina or in Europe, where he's played since 2001, but it sounds a lil' sketchy
OTHER BOLLOX
David Beckham could sign for a Premier League side as early as next week with the 35-year-old midfielder eager to return to top-level action and his current club LA Galaxy likely to grant him permission to go out on loan within the next 48 hours. Daily Mail
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho will try to convince Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, 23, to join him at the Bernabeu in the summer and is prepared to offer the Gunners £35m for the Spanish midfielder. The Sun
Italian club Chievo Verona are leading the chase to sign Arsenal forward Carlos Vela with the 21-year-old Mexican having struggled to nail down a first-team spot since signing for the Gunners in 2005. The Sun
Benfica claim they have turned down a bid of about £17m from Chelsea for Brazilian centre-back David Luiz, 23, insisting he will leave for no less than £43m. The Guardian
Aston Villa will hold talks to try and keep hold of winger Ashley Young who is a £15m January target for Premier League leaders Manchester United. Daily Star [/spoiler]Manchester United goalkeeping target David De Gea has made it clear he is eager to stay at Atletico Madrid, saying: "I am very happy ... when things are going well it is not necessary to change anything." talkSPORT
West Ham will try to sign Manchester United's Michael Owen and Everton striker Yakubu as they look to drag themselves out of the relegation mire. Daily Mirror
Swiss international Valon Behrami could be on his way out of Upton Park, with long-time admirers Roma ready to make a £4.5m offer. talkSPORT
The Hammers are also tracking Barnsley midfielder Adam Hammill, 25, but will have competition from Nottingham Forest. Daily Mirror
Liverpool could make Rennes midfielder Sylvain Marveaux their first January signing after he was a guest at their 1-0 home loss to Wolves on Wednesday. the Sun
Dutch striker Eljero Elia could also be on his way to Anfield from Hamburg, which could pave the way for compatriot Ryan Babel to leave Liverpool. talkSPORT
Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier has targeted Blackburn's £8m-rated centre-back Chris Samba as the man to shore up his defence. Daily Express
Meanwhile, Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is planning a £12m offer for Aston Villa's 26-year-old winger Stewart Downing. Daily Mail
Everton are in the hunt for Sparta Prague's Slovakian midfielder Juraj Kucka, 23, with Bayer Leverkusen and Parma also interested. The Sun
Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish wants midfielder David Bentley and striker Robbie Keane to join Blues from Tottenham. Daily Mail
Blackpool hope to agree a deal with Ghana midfielder Laryea Kingston before the transfer window opens. The former Hearts player is available as a free agent after leaving Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem. talkSPORT
Wolves are interested in Portsmouth midfielder Michael Brown, with the 33-year-old looking likely to have played his last game for Pompey after triggering a contract clause that would increase his salary to £35,000 a week should he play another match. Daily Mail
Liverpool's owners have reached breaking point with Reds' manager Roy Hodgson and only a victory against Bolton on Saturday is likely to save him from being sacked. Daily Mail
Sir Alex Ferguson has recalled two players to Manchester United from their loan spells at Preston after his son Darren was sacked as manager at Deepdale.Guardian
Billy Davies is a shock front-runner to become Burnley's next manager because the Nottingham Forest boss is in dispute with the east midlands club over its transfer policy.Daily Mail
Wayne Rooney's 20-year-old brother John, a former Macclesfield midfielder, is flying to America on Sunday to take part in the Major Soccer League Superdraft. Daily Mail
Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor says he thinks he would be easier for defenders to push around if he took manager Gerard Houllier's advice to lose weight. Daily Telegraph
