Manchester City are back in the race for Alexis Sanchez after Barcelona youngster Jeffren rejected the chance to join Udinese.
The Italian club are now pushing their Chilean forward towards Eastlands, as City are offering the better financial package – reportedly worth in the region of £35million plus £4million in bonuses.
Although the player is thought to prefer a move to the Spanish champions, Barca have only offered £28million plus Jeffren, who's recently jeopardized their deal by insisting he's not keen on moving to the Serie A side.
'It is clear that I do not like the idea of leaving Barcelona for Udinese,' the 23-year-old told Spanish radio station RAC1.
‘I have spent the past seven years at Barcelona and it was my dream to succeed here.
'I don't think I will make it here, though, and it looks like I have to start looking elsewhere.'
With Sanchez set to represent Chile in the Copa America time is running out for the skilful attacker to finalise a move before the start of the tournament on July 1, as national coach Claudio Borghi is reluctant to release him once the competition is under way.
Manchester United are also believed to be in the hunt, but could not afford to match the offer from their city rivals.
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Sanchez refuses to board plane to Manchester for City talks
Alexis Sanchez turned into a non-flying winger when he refused to get on a plane to join Manchester City in a stunning £30 million deal.
Chilean star Sanchez was cleared to leave his country’s training camp to speak to City about a move to the Premier League after the megabucks outfit stepped ahead of Barcelona and Manchester United with the best bid.
However Sanchez rocked his club Udinese by telling them he would not go as he does not consider City to be his favoured option - he would rather join United or speak to Barca to find out their plans.
The drama was played out at Santiago airport where media gathered to see Sanchez fly off - only to find out he had put the block on the transfer.
Sanchez thought he was going to speak to Champions League Barca, but their offer of a player plus cash was rejected by Udinese who preferred City’s hard cash over the Spanish package or United’s £27 million offer.
However the exciting attacking star has now decided to have his say in the transfer tug-of-war and his action leaves United and Barca trying to persuade Udinese to take less money.
Barca only want to commit £22 million to the deal and have offered a selection of swaps, but their fringe men like Bjoan Krkic, Thiago Alcantara and Jeffren have said ‘no thanks’ to Udinese.
United are sitting comfortably in the background, still confident that their straight-cash deal will win the day - although time is also a factor in the race.
Sanchez is due to play for Chile in the Copa America which starts in a week. His national federation do not want to risk him appearing in case he is injured, while Udinese want him sold by then to spend the money.
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Udinese: Alexis Sanchez has not expressed big preference for Barcelona over Manchester City
Barcelona are still favourites to land Chile international Alexis Sanchez this summer, according to Udinese owner Gianpaolo Pozzo.
The highly-rated winger is one of the hottest names on the transfer market and is also a target of Manchester City.
The 22-year-old, who is under contract with Udinese until June 2014, is valued at 50million euros.
"Barcelona are ahead of City," said Pozzo to Gazzetta dello Sport. "But the player has not expressed a big preference between the two clubs.
"Of course, we will consider his opinion.
"The deal is not done because there are still details yet to iron out."
Sanchez scored 12 goals this term to help the Serie A outfit finish fourth in the league and qualify for the Champions League next season.
Manchester City defender Jerome Boateng confident of completing Bayern Munich move
The German international stopper believes he will return to his homeland during this transfer window despite his current club playing hardball in the transfer market
Manchester City defender Jerome Boateng is optimistic about securing a move back to the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich in spite of the Premier League club's insistence on a €20m (£17.8m) transfer fee.
New Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes sees Boateng as the ideal candidate to strengthen a leaky defence, which was a contributing factor in their failure to win a major trophy last season.
The German international wants to leave Eastlands, but he is prepared to wait for the two clubs to agree a move.
He told Bild: "I must be patient. There is really not a great deal more that can be said.
"I am concentrating on my training and hope that a resolution will be found quickly. I believe it will."
The versatile stopper, who is capable of operating in any position across the back four, is currently recovering from a knee operation he underwent in the United States, and he is doing everything to be fit for the upcoming campaign.
"I have no pain," he said. "I am working on my condition, strength and speed - the whole lot."
Bayern have so far been reluctant to meet City's demands, and should they fail to come to an agreement with Manchester City, they will turn their attentions to the likes of Chelsea defender Alex and Barcelona's Gabriel Milito.
Manchester City midfielder Dedryk Boyata is a possible loan target for Celtic. (Daily Mail)
Aberdeen will complete the signing of goalkeeper David Gonzalez from Manchester City within 24 hours. (Daily Record)
Manchester City lead Liverpool in race for Lyon
According to reports Manchester City are moving in on Lyon defender Aly Cissokho.
The Sun claims City representatives jetted over to France earlier this week to try and complete a deal.
City have been monitoring Cissokho’s situation for a number of months and it is understood Liverpool are also interested.
The Eastlands club is hoping Lyon will sell the left-back as the club needs to raise money before it can buy.
The 23-year-old has a reputation as one of the most powerful and speedy full-backs in France and is City's defender Micah Richards
Stepping stone to stardom: Man City ditch Reserve League to play against Euro's elite
Harry Bunn should be one to test his skills against Europe's best - the striker, 18, hit 20 goals last season as he stepped up from City's academy side to their elite development squad
Manchester City have chosen to pull out of next season's Barclays Premier Reserve League in order to provide their youngsters with the platform to play against Europe's elite.
The club's academy chief Mark Allen said the decision to ditch the competition and instead focus on the inaugural NextGen Series, a Champions League-style tournament for Under 19s, will better prepare his youth players for life as professional footballers.
As revealed by Sportsmail on Wednesday, City's academy and elite development squad players will take on Barcelona in the stand-out tie of the new tournament.
'We'll be competing against the best in Europe, a la the Champions League format,' said Allen. 'We see it as an important chapter in the development of Manchester City.
'The average age for a Premier League debut is becoming older, 21 or 22 when before it might have been 17 or 18. You have to bridge that gap and prepare them for a better standard of football.
'It's the next stepping stone. It will prepare them for those balmy nights we'll hopefully have in the Champions League as the club moves forward. Who knows, we might be seeing the new Lionel Messi on a Thursday night at Hyde.'
On the Reserve League, in which City played 19 times last season, Allen said: 'We found it just a little bit too rigid in terms of fixtures. This will allow us the scope for a flexible games programme.'
Allen said that City will still play in both the Manchester and Lancashire Senior Cups. Aston Villa, another of England's representatives in the NextGen series, have confirmed they will take part in the Reserve League, while Liverpool said they would not comment until organisers finalised the exact details.
The NextGen tournament is sanctioned by UEFA and the FA but organised by private company Cycad Sports Management, who are confident of securing Premier League referees to officiate.
There is one place yet to be confirmed but organisers say it will not be another English team. Despite City's decision, the NextGen Series will not impact on the Premier Academy League.
'It is an individual choice to play in the Reserve League but all teams play in the Academy League,' a Premier League spokesman said.
OTHER BOLLOX
New Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas is set to miss out on Santos forward Neymar, with the Brazilian teenager instead likely to join Spanish giants Real Madrid. talkShit
Brazil legend Pele has backed Neymar's move to the Spanish capital after calling the Premier League too rough. Daily Mirror
Defender Gael Clichy is keen to move to Liverpool after talks stalled on a new deal at Arsenal. the Sun
Sunderland's bid for Ipswich teenager Connor Wickham may come to nothing as the striker is waiting for a move to Liverpool or Arsenal. Metro
Espanyol goalkeeper Carlos Kameni has moved a step closer to joining Fulham after the Cameroon international admitted he "would love" to play in the Premier League. talkShit
Liverpool have been told they will need to pay £13.5m to sign St Etienne winger Dimitri Payet. Aston Villa's Stewart Downing had been Reds boss Kenny Dalglish's target for that position but Payet could be an alternative. talkShit
Chelsea have valued their England Under-21 defender Ryan Bertrand at £5m. However, he may be allowed to go out on loan for a season, with West Brom, Wolves, Bolton, Fulham and Nottingham Forest all interested. the Sun
New West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is weighing up Peterborough striker Craig Mackail-Smith. talkShit
Doncaster manager Sean O'Driscoll has moved for Blackpool's Jason Euell and Richard Naylor of Leeds, who are available on free transfers, and is also keen on Sheffield Wednesday's £200,000-rated defender Tommy Spurr. Daily Mirror
Arsenal are monitoring 21-year-old Toulouse and France midfielder Moussa Sissoko.
(the Times)
Bursaspor say they have agreed in principle deals for Rangers defender Steven Whittaker and former Celtic midfielder Landry N'Guemo. (the Herald)
Steven Whittaker has rejected the offer of a contract extension that would have made the defender the highest-paid player at Rangers, who plan to hold him to the final year of his current deal after rejecting a fourth transfer bid from Bursaspor. (the Herald)
Rangers have not given up hope of signing Lee Wallace despite being shocked at Hearts' valuation of the Scotland full-back after the Glasgow club tabled a £300,000 offer. (Daily Record)
Rangers will today make an offer to midfielder Neil Danns, who is a free agent after leaving Crystal Palace and who has been linked with Celtic. (the Herald)
Despite reports to the contrary, Celtic have no interest in Deportivo La Coruna goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia. (the Sun)
Celtic withdrew from the race to sign Deportivo La Coruna goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia because of the £2.5m asking price. (Daily Express)
Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish might beat Celtic to the signing of Kenyan midfielder Victor Wanyama. (Daily Mail)
St Mirren have been given permission by Celtic to talk to winger Graham Carey about a return to Paisley after his loan spell. (Various)
St Johnstone have pulled out of the race to sign Brechin City striker Rory McAllister. (Daily Record)
St Johnstone are close to tying up a deal for former Falkirk striker Carl Finnigan after being forced to admit defeat in bids to sign former Bristol Rovers man Darryl Duffy and Falkirk's Mark Stewart. (Daily Express)
Goalkeeper David Gonzalez says he could join Aberdeen on a permanent deal instead of a loan. (the Herald)
New Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas believes he has to lead Chelsea to the quadruple to keep owner Roman Abramovich happy. the Sun
Manager Sam Allardyce will not change West Ham's style of football to a more direct game after he conceded that "playing the right way is about entertaining the public". He said: "Everywhere I've been I entertain the public, irrespective of the perception from the media that Sam Allardyce plays long ball." (Press Association)
Former Scotland player Bobby Lennox said he would be worried about getting ostracised by the Scottish Football Association if he chose to play for Team GB at London 2012.(the Times)
London Olympic organisers have estimated that sales of Team GB replica football shirts could be worth as much as £8m in revenue. Daily Telegraph
Celtic assistant manager Johan Mjallby has warned the club that he will leave unless they offer him a substantial pay rise. (Various)
Hearts full-back Craig Thomson has been told to stay away from pre-season training after last week admitting indecent behaviour towards under-age girls. (Daily Record)
Craig Thomson's future at Hearts is in the hands of owner Vladimir Romanov after a meeting between manager Jim Jefferies and managing director David Southern failed to come to a decision about the convicted sex offender. (the Scotsman)
New Birmingham City manager Chris Hughton wants to appoint Hibernian manager Colin Calderwood as his assistant. (the Sun)
Hibernian manager Colin Calderwood is reluctant to return to Nottingham Forest as Steve McClaren's assistant after being previously sacked by the Championship club. (the Sun)
Dunfermline Athletic fans have launched a Facebook campaign to have one of the East End Park stands named after former manager and present director of football Jim Leishman. (Various)
Former England, Newcastle and Ipswich manager Sir Bobby Robson labelled Andre Villas-Boas, who has been appointed the new manager at Chelsea, as "something special" a decade ago, according to ex-Tractor Boys boss George Burley.Daily Mirror
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Tevez’s arrogance is costing him a move away from Manchester City
The Argentine striker’s ridiculous wage demands have alienated him from the market
Carlos Tevez may be taking early retirement this summer if he continues to pursue a contract that puts him in the same league as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Today Inter Milan have confirmed they will not be signing Tevez because the striker is too expensive, and seeing as the Italian giants are one of very few clubs that could afford the Argentine, it doesn’t bode well for Tevez.
Tevez is asking for £250,000 a week in wages and while Manchester City may be able to guarantee that wage, elsewhere in Europe the two greats Messi and Ronaldo are on around £200,000 a week.
“Tevez is a great player, a great character, but absolutely no,” said Inter Milan’s sporting director Marco Branca. “His salary means it is out of the question.”
There’s no doubt Tevez is a good player, but to place himself in the same league as Messi and Ronaldo is delusional and unless he lowers his demands, the Manchester City striker could be returning to Argentina with his tail between his legs.
Manchester City fans may be rubbing their hands in glee at the fact Tevez is struggling to secure his move away from Eastlands, but the comments from the Argentine over the past couple of months suggest returning to Manchester is most definitely out of the question.
Real Madrid remain the only club in left in world football that could afford Tevez and with a deal for Neymar imminent, there’s no room for the Argentine in Jose Mourinho’s squad.
Whether it’s the market that has led Tevez to become delusional or whether the players has ideas above his station is there to be debated, but Branca certainly believes the current market is “crazy”.
“The market is crazy at the moment and it is hard to compete,” said Branca. “We are looking for younger players now with great talent, who we can develop.”
Manchester City fans would welcome Tevez back with open arms despite his behaviour recently, and if the Argentine wants his ridiculous wage demands met, he’ll have to remain at Eastlands.
