Forget Wayne Rooney, Wolfsburg's £40m man Dzeko may be Edin to Manchester City
For Manchester City it has been a week that proves once again that money only gets you so far in a short space of time.
Beaten by their neighbours United in the fight for Wayne Rooney, City now face up to a Manchester derby in a fortnight knowing he may be back from injury in time to face them.
And in being beaten by Arsenal at Eastlands on Sunday, City were reminded that the depth of their squad is still not quite as they would like it to be.
The good news is that the Barclays Premier League's richest club remain well placed to do something about it. Having lost out on Rooney - for now - City's sights will return to previous, perhaps more attainable targets.
Roberto Mancini continues to monitor the difficult season Fernando Torres is enduring at Liverpool. A more attractive prospect for him, though, is 6ft 3in Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko and either this January or, more likely, next summer, Wolfsburg will be called back to the negotiating table.
If this does not work then Mancini's favourite striker in world football, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, remains on the periphery of the Italian's radar.
Currently settling in at AC Milan on loan from Barcelona, the forward is still in Mancini's thoughts even though the City boss stepped away from a possible deal in the summer.
This illustrates their power. There will not be a summer like the last two - six big-name players signed in each - but as they showed by getting directly and fascinatingly involved in the Rooney saga, City remain remarkably powerful when opportunity knocks.
There was enormous disappointment at Eastlands regarding Rooney. It would have been seen as the perfect transfer. Better even than the one involving Carlos Tevez.
'Strengthen yourself and weaken your opposition,' rued one source close to City at the weekend. 'It would've been a transfer like no other that the club have done.'
Yet ahead of the November 10 derby, there will be no tears at Eastlands. Mancini and chief executive Garry Cook remain convinced that Manchester's 'second' club are well on the way to upsetting the accepted order in the North West for the first time since the late 1960s.
Cook was asked at a recent business gathering how City planned to circumnavigate FIFA's forthcoming 'Financial Fair Play' rules that will insist that by 2013-14 a club's annual losses do not exceed £40million.
The chief executive, who saw the club lose £121m in the last financial year, said with conviction and confidence that they have 'currently only reached 40 per cent of their commercial potential' and are already on the way to 'opening up new and deeper income streams'.
Cook cited selling the naming rights to the City of Manchester Stadium as one example of raising more money.
Although this would be a complicated process, given that City part-own the stadium with the council, it remains under long-term consideration, while the club will rely on qualification for the Champions League this season to significantly increase TV revenue, match-day income and an already burgeoning sponsorship portfolio.
In the background to all this is manager Mancini. He is understood to be uncomfortably aware of how much his team have relied on Tevez so far this season and he will ask Cook and football administrator Brian Marwood to explore the Dzeko deal again in January if he feels it will make the difference between winning the title and merely finishing in the top four.
City will spend more cautiously in the next couple of years. They are also more wary of buying players that are likely to have little or no sell-on value.
This counts against Ibrahimovic, a player who is 29 and whose wages at Barcelona last season were enough to bring tears to the eyes of even City owner Sheik Mansour.
Dzeko is different. At 24, the Wolfsburg forward - also coveted by United - represents the future of European football.
City did not meet the German club's £40m valuation in the last transfer window but, despite interest from Juventus and a suggestion that he would prefer a move to Italy, the deal remains in the pending tray.
City are also acutely aware of a wage bill that exceeded the club's turnover last year, but January may see the back of forwards Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz, while Craig Bellamy will move permanently to Cardiff if the Welsh club are promoted.
Those three salaries alone account for more than £14m each year. As with many things at modern-day City, the figures remain staggering. Crucially, in the wake of the Rooney saga, so does their ambition.
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Manchester United are targeting Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina in a sensational £12m swoop. Daily Mirror
Inter Milan are ready to reopen talks with Wesley Sneijder over a new contract as they fear Manchester United will make a January bid for the midfielder. talkSPORT
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is lining up a double Dutch midfield swoop for PSV Eindhoven's Ibrahim Afellay and Feyenoord's Leroy Fer. caughtoffside.com
However, Everton, Liverpool and Arsenal will join United in the hunt for Afellay, who is out of contract in the summer. talkSPORT
Tottenham have joined Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea in the race to sign striker Romelu Lukaku from Belgian club Anderlecht. Daily Mirror
Arsenal will make a renewed attempt to sign 6ft 5in Werder Bremen defender Per Mertesacker in January. caughtoffside.com
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is lining up a January bid for Borussia Dortmund's highly rated midfielder Nuri Sahin. caughtoffside.com
Everton have been told by Burnley there is no chance of landing their midfielder Chris Eagles in January. Daily Mirror
The Tutto Mercato website says Everton representatives are due in Milan in the next few weeks to discuss a deal for Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari. imscouting.com
Newcastle United are ready to challenge Everton for the loan signing of Landon Donovan in January. Donovan spent time on loan at Goddison Park last season. goal.com
Blackpool boss Ian Holloway has conceded that goalkeeper Matt Gilks and defender David Vaughan are likely to quit the club because it cannot afford to break its wage structure to extend their current deals beyond the end of this season. Daily Mail
Italian clubs Bari and Fiorentina are battling to secure the signature of Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand. talkSPORT
Plymouth manager Peter Reid is interested in loan deals for Liverpool defender Stephen Darby and striker Nathan Eccleston. Daily Mail
Italian side Juventus are considering a move for Tottenham striker Robbie Keane, who had a spell with Inter Milan in the 2000/01 season. insidefutbol.com
OTHER BOLLOX
England coach Fabio Capello has warned Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney that he cannot consider himself an automatic choice for the national side. Daily Star
Capello has also told the Football Association that if they are to appoint another English coach to his backroom staff, he wants someone who is focused on the national side and would not use the role as a way of getting a club management job. the Independent
Stoke winger Matthew Etherington may be in line for a call-up to Capello's squad after his impressive display in the 2-1 loss to Manchester United at the weekend. the Sun
Former Southampton player Matthew Le Tissier has hit out at today's footballers, suggesting that "money goes to their head and they think they can do whatever they please". Daily Express
After securing Rooney to a big-money deal last week, Manchester United are ready to splash the cash again to tie defender Patrice Evra to a long-term contract. the Sun
Former Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini says he has been contacted by Liverpool regarding the possibility of replacing Roy Hodgson as manager. imscouting.com
Ex-Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is in talks with Saudi club Al Hilal about a return to management on a tax-free, two-year deal. Daily Mirror
Former West Brom boss Tony Mowbray is still favourite to land the Middlesbrough manager's job after meeting chairman Steve Gibson. Daily Mail
Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri is set to be rewarded for his fine early-season form by being offered a new five-year deal at the club. Daily Mirror
Former Arsenal captain Frank McLintock believes the Gunners are in good shape to mount a title challenge this season but has questioned whether the club will spend big money to turn them into champions in the future. talkSPORT
Goalkeeper Pepe Reina says that his Liverpool team-mates are to blame for not assisting striker Fernando Torres to score more goals this season. "We know he is the type of player that can win a game just like that but we can't expect him to keep doing it on his own," said Reina of his fellow Spaniard. Daily Mirror
Bristol City goalkeeper David James has revealed he was drunk when he received the phone call from then manager Steve Coppell, asking him to consider a move to the Championship club in July. Daily Star
Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin believes his team-mates are beginning to understand his instructions on the pitch - even though he is saying them in his native Russian. Speaking about an incident with midfielder Cesc Fabregas, Arshavin said: "It was automatic. I shouted to him in Russian and he passed the ball. He understood what I was saying." the Sun
Bolton defender Paul Robinson says he has to keep telling team-mate Martin Petrov to stop running himself into the ground. "He is the player that he is and you've got to let him be free and go and attack teams. Sometimes it can be hard because you've got to put reins on him to save his energy," said Robinson of the Bulgarian left winger. the Sun
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