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Manchester City facing fight for Cavani as Spanish giants Real Madrid start talks with Napoli striker
Manchester City have been dealt a major blow in their chase for Edinson Cavani after Real Madrid stepped up their attempts to land the Napoli forward.
The Uruguay striker is Roberto Mancini's No 1 target with the Italian desperate for more firepower since losing Mario Balotelli to AC Milan.
Mancini is set for a busy summer in the transfer market but Real have now emerged as serious contenders to land Cavani at the end of the season.
Sportsmail understands Bernabeu executives have opened talks with Cavani's advisors over a money-spinning swoop.
The Real delegation are said to have made abundantly clear their intentions to land the player.
The news provides a major obstacle in City's attempts to sign Cavani, who has a £52million release clause written into his contract.
Napoli insist he will not be allowed to leave without a club meeting that release clause.
Sportsmail revealed on February 13 how City had begun negotiations with Cavani's representatives in a bid to strike an early deal.
Paris Saint-Germain are also monitoring Cavani ahead of the summer transfer window.
Midfield man eyes City return
Gareth Barry is hoping to hand Manchester City a boost by returning to fitness ahead of Monday's Premier League trip to Aston Villa.
The 32-year-old England international has been out of action since scoring an embarrassing own goal past goalkeeper Joe Hart during the damaging 3-1 defeat at Southampton earlier this month.
However, Barry is set to be on the training pitch on Thursday and looking to make a first start in three weeks when City travel to his relegation-haunted former club Aston Villa.
Barry is looking to get back into the side quickly because he will be entering the final year of his current contract in the summer so he needs to show boss Roberto Mancini that he is worthy of an extension.
It will be difficult for him because £12million summer signing Jack Rodwell has now returned to full fitness, while Javi Garcia has also progressed for the first team in recent weeks.
But Mancini has stressed in the past that Barry is an important part of his squad and could reward him with a prolonged stay at the Etihad Stadium, but the terms of that extension remains to be seen.
Aguero calls for City's spirit of May 13 to shine through
The Manchester City striker has issued a rallying cry for the Blues to gather themselves and take one last shot at the title race
Sergio Aguero is calling on the spirit of May 13 as City gather themselves for one last attempt to rekindle the title race.
The Blues striker knows more than most that a refusal to give up can bring its rewards and he feels that the events of the last day of last season, when he scored the title-winning goal deep in added time, have imprinted themselves on the soul of the club.
“Can we still win the title? I’d like to believe so,” said Aguero, who has scored 43 goals in 79 games for the Blues.
“We can’t give up even if we know it looks tough. I’d still rather think we can and, like I said last year, we’ll fight to the end, I can guarantee that.
“I think that we get stronger every year. This is one of the most competitive leagues in the world, if not the most competitive, and we’re keeping a very high profile. That’s nothing to scoff at.”
Aguero feels that City have allowed their level to slip from last season but also that opponents have learned how to cope with them, which has stemmed the free flow of goals which won them the league last year.
“We’ve not been able to play our best game in many matches,” he said.
“We haven’t been as finely-tuned or fluent as we could be and our rivals know us better this time around. These factors must have had an influence.
“Take the Southampton game. We had to look closely at ourselves and how we played after that game.
“I reflected on what had happened as we travelled home. I admit I didn’t take it well and was as disappointed as anyone because you can win or lose a match, but not in that fashion.
“I said after the game that it all went wrong that day. It’s hard to understand what happened to us or to find a logical explanation but we know we can’t let that happen again. I’m sure of that.
“We know the manager was angry afterwards but it’s not up to us to understand or not to understand his reaction. Everyone has their own right to express their sentiments, especially after a game like that.”
Aguero has been linked with a move back to Spain in the summer, especially after his split with partner Giannina Maradona meant he is now living apart from his son, Benjamin.
But Aguero says a departure from the Blues is not on his agenda.
“I’m very happy at City and I feel very appreciated here, which means a lot to me,” he said. “It’s been barely more than a year-and-a-half since I arrived and sometimes I feel like I’ve been here all of my life.
“I keep a symbiotic relationship with the fans that always reminds me of our title and that goal against QPR. How could I forget that? More to the point, why would I want to forget that?”
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[/spoiler]Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, 26, has fuelled speculation linking him to Bayern Munich ahead of Pep Guardiola's arrival as the German side's manager by admitting he would not "automatically" reject an offer. Guardiola's brother Pere represents the Uruguay international. Metro
Tottenham have rejected a bid from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala to take 27-year-old defender Younes Kaboul on loan until the end of the season. Anzhi are searching for a replacement for Christopher Samba, who left for QPR in January. Guardian
West Brom manager Steve Clarke wants to keep on-loan Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, 19, at The Hawthorns for another season. the Sun
Stoke City boss Tony Pulis is keen on signing Bolton's Spanish left-back Marcos Alonso. Pulis watched the 22-year-old defender in Bolton's 1-0 win against Peterborough on Tuesday. Daily Mirror
Cardiff City striker Robert Earnshaw, 31, is in talks to sign for MLS club Toronto on loan. He had a spell earlier in the season on loan in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Daily Star
Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness says his side have regained "the dominant place in German football" after Wednesday night's 1-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-final of the domestic cup. Hoeness thanked his opponents, who won last season's league and cup double, for forcing his team to reach "another level". Die Welt
Uefa president Michel Platini has called on the governments of Serbia and Croatia to address the problem of football violence. The two countries are scheduled to meet in a World Cup qualifier in Zagreb on 22 March. Tuttosport
Paolo Di Canio's claim that his next managerial job will be in the Premier League has raised speculation that West Ham might be interested in his services. The Italian resigned as Swindon boss earlier this month. Times
Arsenal are ready to relax their wage structure to strengthen their squad. No player earns more than £100,000 a week but that figure could be broken as Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is interested in Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic, 23, and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze, 20. Daily Telegraph
Chelsea have brought in lawyers in a bid to get a billboard poking fun at struggling striker Fernando Torres, 28, removed from a site opposite Stamford Bridge. DSSC
Reports in Italy suggest Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli has commissioned an artist to make a statue of him in the "muscleman" pose he struck during Euro 2012. 606 newsletter
