Tuesday's B*ll*x (updated)

[Chinners]

BREAKING BOLLOX
Santos president Luis Alvaro Ribeiro says five European clubs have contacted him to try to sign young Brazil striker Neymar. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester City and Anzhi Makhachkala of Russia are willing to pay the €45m (£40.4m) buyout clause in Neymar's contract. (Brazil football website http://www.globoesporte.com)

Michael Essien's agent Fabien Piveteau says "there's absolutely no chance of the midfielder leaving Chelsea". (African football website http://www.MTNFootball.com)

Arsenal are expected to move ahead with a deal for Bolton's England defender Gary Cahill, with unsettled Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner a possible makeweight to help bridge the gap between the clubs' differing valuations. (Press Association)

Arsenal midfield target Juan Mata insists he is happy at Valencia and is not thinking about a potential £20m move to the Gunners. (Superdeporte)

Birmingham have rejected Stoke's £16m bid for Scott Dann and Cameron Jerome. (Sky Sports News)

Marseille are interested in re-signing Chelsea striker Didier Drogba - but only if the club can afford to meet the Ivorian striker's wage demands. La Provence

City have hired Williams to 'take out the rubbish'
Manchester City have hired John Williams to be their super salesman and bring in money in exchange for their fringe players.
City have hired former Blackburn supremo Williams on a six-month contract, and his brief is to find buyers for the men manager Roberto Mancini no longer needs.
Ironically, two of City’s least wanted are Roque Santa Cruz and Craig Bellamy - both of whom were bought and sold by Williams in his time at Ewood Park - but altogether there are around a dozen misfits for him to dispose of.
While Garry Cook and Brian Marwood head up City’s push for expensive new faces to join City in the Champions League, it will be left to Williams to ‘shift the rubbish’ from Eastlands.
Williams is a skilled and experienced operator, but even he might find it hard to find new homes - and bring in fees - for so many players who are on sky-high wages.
Santa Cruz is the biggest white elephant.
The Paraguayan striker is on around £90,000-a-week and the best chance of shifting the forward Williams’ Rovers sold to City for £17million is a loan deal.
Bellamy is in the last year of his contract and on close to £4million-a-year.
The Welsh striker would like to decide where he goes next - with Celtic, Stoke and possible Everton in the hunt.
City may have to pay the pair off in part to pave the way for their exits - the same applies to Wayne Bridge, who is back from West Ham to resume collecting a monster salary that comes in at close to £5m-a-year.
Shaun Wright-Phillips can go too, with his asking price bound to be cut to help clubs accommodate the former England winger’s salary.
Given will want to move for the chance of regular football, but there are signs the Republic of Ireland international may be given a chance to reclaim the jersey from Joe Hart.
But City have told James Milner he is going nowhere, despite several rival clubs, including Aston Villa, being prepared to offer him an Eastlands exit.
Milner, 25, joined City last summer in a £26million switch after a brilliant season in Villa's central midfield but struggled to establish himself as a first choice in Mancini’s side last term.
He scored only once - at Leicester in the FA Cup - and was an unused sub in the FA Cup Final win over Stoke.
Milner was also frustrated at not getting many opportunities in his favoured central role.
He is aware he needs more games to maintain his place in Fabio Capello’s pecking order for England.
In total, SIX Premier League clubs are chasing Milner.
The star is considering his future as he wants regular action, including Champions League games, to retain his England slot.
But City are insisting Milner must stay and do not wish to even consider selling him to an English top-flight club.

Liverpool to Bridge gap at back?
Liverpool FC are thought to have given up hope on Newcastle United left-back Jose Enrique and will make enquiries into the availability of Manchester City defender Wayne Bridge who spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham United.
The Merseyside club are deseprate to fill the vacant left-back spot as soon as possible and have so far scouted Bayer Leverkusen’s Kadlec, Newcastle’s Enrique and Arsenal’s Gael Clichy to fill the position. Although Enrique could still be available Newcastle United are playing hard ball as are Arsenal with regards to Clichy, preferring to sell him abroad that to a Premiership rival, Wenger also still believes that he will be able to keep hold of the defender this summer.
For a Liverpool side that are looking at investing in British players, Bridge will not be over priced, his lack of first team action for Manchester City suggests he could be available for under £7m and his impressive form for West Ham United from January showed that he can still do the job.



OTHER BOLLOX
Craig Gardner is set to end his 18-month spell with Birmingham in the next 24 hours and complete a £5m move to Sunderland. (Press Association)

Arsenal are eyeing £15m-rated Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Arturo Vidal as a possible replacement for Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. Daily Mirror

Barcelona will offer £35m plus incentives for Fabregas as they look to reach a successful conclusion to their long-running pursuit of the Spain midfielder. Daily Mail

Or, Barcelona want Fabregas to go on strike in order to force a cut-price move from Arsenal to the European champions. the Sun

Arsenal themselves have opened talks with Bolton defender Gary Cahill, while Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is also interested in Birmingham's Scott Dann, Blackburn's Chris Samba and Everton's Phil Jagielka. Times

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp will sell four or five players in order to bring in any new signings. Metro

And Spurs have stepped up their interest in Stuttgart's Germany defender Serdar Tasci. the Sun

Blackburn manager Steve Kean is considering a renewed bid for Tottenham striker Robbie Keane, having had a £2m offer rejected. Daily Telegraph

Sunderland have agreed a £13m fee with Ipswich for striker Connor Wickham. Liverpool are still interested but must match Sunderland's bid. Daily Mirror

The Black Cats are also set to make a £7m offer for Reading striker Shane Long. Daily Mail

Real Madrid are planning a bid for Chelsea defender Ashley Cole after it emerged that new Stamford Bridge boss Andre Villas-Boas wants to sign Benfica left-back Fabio Coentrao. caughtoffside.com

Liverpool are giving up on signing Jose Enrique from Newcastle and will instead look to experienced Manchester City left-back Wayne Bridge, who was on loan at West Ham last season. footybunker.com

Liverpool are ready to send youngsters Jonjo Shelvey and Stephen Darby to Blackpool as part of a deal to land midfielder Charlie Adam. Daily Mirror

Aston Villa are expecting midfielder Stewart Downing to hand in a transfer request but are determined to hold out for their £20m valuation of the player, who is wanted by Liverpool. Daily Star

Barcelona claim they have already rejected a £27m offer from Chelsea for striker David Villa. Daily Mirror

Aston Villa and Fulham are locked in a battle to sign highly rated Monaco goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier.talkSHIT

Stoke have made a £3m offer for West Ham striker Carlton Cole. Daily Mail

Spanish side Valencia will make a £14m offer for Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov, who looks to be on his way out of Old Trafford this summer despite being the club's top scorer last season. (Footy Bunker)

United have already made enquiries for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani as a replacement for Berbatov. (Footy Bunker)

Wolfsburg playmaker Diego has revealed he is in talks over a "dream" move to the Premier League. The 26-year-old is thought to be one of Liverpool's top summer targets. talkSHIT

Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Tottenham winger David Bentley, who is also wanted by Fulham. Daily Star

Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina has backed David De Gea to be a hit in the Premier League with Manchester United, and has ruled out replacing the youngster at Atletico Madrid. talkSHIT

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has interviewed candidates to be his new number two after his initial choice, Vitor Pereira, was appointed his replacement at Porto. the Guardian

Cesc Fabregas's days at the Emirates look to be numbered after he was left out of promotional material for the launch of Arsenal's new away kit. Daily Mirror

[Dronny]

Got your b*ll*x out on show nice'n'early today Chinners

[1950]

Not a fan of the blue font. It's bloody unreadable on the away board style!

[lets all have a disco]

This sky blue font plays havoc on the playing away theme,i dont like highlighting bollox.

[Esky]

Arsenal are eyeing £15m-rated Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Arturo Vidal as a possible replacement for Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. Daily Mirror

Would be a fantastic signing for anyone in the Premiership, based on what I've seen of him for Leverkusen and in South Africa last year. Wonderfully gifted and complete player - he'd serious alternative to Sneijder or Nasri imo, if Mancini is in the market for a midfielder.

Sunderland have agreed a £13m fee with Ipswich for striker Connor Wickham. Liverpool are still interested but must match Sunderland's bid. Daily Mirror

Is he that good? Bollox or not, the prices quoted are huge for an 18 year old who's only played in the Championship.

[bobby brows]

Tuesday's rather delay job interview Rumor Mill



yes, Wayne Bridge was the photo on today's mill


Kenny Dalglish is not quite a very naughty boy but he is no longer the Messiah – that's the view of some Liverpool fans, who, risking instant fatwas, have even begun to take the Scot's name in vain amid reports that Liverpool want to force out Raul Meireles. But fear not: there is transfer tittle-tattle today that may persuade those heretics to recant faster than a teetotaller at the OktoberFest: for Meireles may soon be forgotten if Liverpool succeed in landing wily Wolfsburg schemer Diego. On the other hand, there are also suggestions today Dalglish intends solving Liverpool's left-back conundrum by giving a contract to Wayne Bridge …


There is still uncertainty, of course, over precisely what the £20m purchase of Jordan Henderson should do to the dial on the Dalglish naughti-ometer, primarily because there is still uncertainty over precisely what Jordan Henderson does. By contrast, everyone knows what Charlie Adam can do, but can he do it consistently for a club with Liverpool's ambitions? We may get to find out if Blackpool accept Liverpool's offer of £8m plus Jonjo Shelvey on a season-long loan and Dalglish figures out a way to get all of his midfielders on to the pitch. Dalglish may also be ogling Ipswich's teenage beefcake Connor Wickham, though he'll have to better Sunderland's £13m bid if he's to get his hands on him.


Meanwhile, the club who may or may have just eclipsed Liverpool as the most successful in English history, depending on how you tot up the trophies, aim to continue their recruitment by bagging a striker to replace Dimitar Berbatov, whose list of wooers now includes Valencia. The name of Napoli's Edinson Cavani is cropping up in dispatches with increasing regularity, while United are also said to be vying with Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City, Barcelona and all the other usual suspects for the signature of Ivorian sensation Souleymane Coulibaly, for whom no story or fee sounds too far-fetched following his ridiculous hat-trick against Brazil in the Under-17 World Cup. That brought the 16-year-old's tally for the tournament to eight goals in three matches.


What Spurs wouldn't do for a striker who could score at that sort of rate … or even just hit eight goals in a season. No further word on how Spurs' hunt for such a creature is progressing, but there are whispers that Spurs are about to pull off the impressive feat of persuading someone – namely, the newly-flush Paris Saint Germain - to part with £14m for Wilson Palacios. Harry Redknapp is going to try to push his luck by convincing Bolton not only to hand over Gary Cahill but to accept Robbie Keane, Jermaine Jenas, Sébastien Bassong and Alan Hutton in return. If Owen Coyle doesn't fall for that prank, Redknapp will instead try to reinforce his defence by bringing Serdar Tasci from Stuttgart. And if Luka Modric jumps ships, Redknapp will console himself with Casmiro, who's either a stylish Sao Paolo midfielder or a snazzy new sweater.


Martin Jol's attempt to show Spurs that they were fools for letting him go will begin with him persuading Fulham to sign … David Bentley. Or maybe that was just another of the Dutchman's endearing wisecracks. Speaking of jokes, that's how West Ham have described Carlton Co … sorry, that's how West Ham have described Stoke's £3m offer for Carlton Cole.


Finally, there is talk that Chelsea have offered Barcelona £27m for David Villa, presumably in the hope that that will coax Fernando Torres out of his shell, as it hasn't done for Spain, but the real intrigue with Chelsea with their boyish new manager: for word is that he is about to launch into an immediate clash with the man with whom he will forever be compared: André Villa-Boas will do battle with José Mourinho for the services of marauding Benfica left-back Fabio Coentrao. Will Mourinho's crackling charisma triumph over his apprentice's sleek allure? Will Mourinho wow the defender with one of his intricate dossiers or will Villa-Boas stagger him with a meticulous scouting report of Newcastle's strengths and weaknesses? Will Villa-Boas's plans for Chelsea domination swing the deal or will Coentrao's mind be made up by Mourinho's grand scheme for cracking MTV? Or will Roman Abramovich just offer more money than Madrid?

[craigmcfc]

Always worth having Abbey twice in one week

[Chinners]

EVENING BOLLOX

Manchester City legend Dennis Tueart led the tributes today to his former captain Mike Doyle, who has died at the age of 64.
Doyle was part of the City team that won the league title, FA Cup, European Cup Winners' Cup and the League Cup between 1968 and 1970. He then skippered the City side that overcame Newcastle 2-1 in the 1976 League Cup final.
Tueart, who scored the winning goal at Wembley that day, told Sky Sports News: "It was a great shock this morning - I didn't know he was ill. Asa Hartford, another one of my colleagues in the 1976 team, texted me to give me the news and it is very sad. Mike was a born winner. He had two periods really as a great player for Manchester City."
He added: "He was one of the younger players in the Joe Mercer-Malcolm Allison era, but when I came in 1974, he then became my captain and there was no question, he was a fantastic leader on the field. The one thing Mike wanted to do was win games for Manchester City.
"At the end of the (1976 final) when the final whistle went he went straight across to the Manchester City supporters to acknowledge their support and (it showed) the feeling he had for the club. I know I got all the praise for the winning goal, but in my mind, Mike was our player of the match, without question."
Manchester-born Doyle joined City as an apprentice in 1962 and made his first-team debut in March 1964.
Featuring primarily as a defender, he went on to become a key player in the club's hugely successful period with Mercer as manager and Allison as assistant.
Following their departure, he was handed the captain's armband in 1975 and a year later, Doyle - who had scored in the 1970 League Cup final win against West Brom - led City to their second triumph in the competition.
Tough and uncompromising on the field, Doyle, winner of five England caps, was also famed for his dislike of local rivals Manchester United.
Having made over 550 appearances for City, he left in 1978 to join Stoke and after further spells with Bolton and Rochdale, retired in 1984.

Manchester City's Shaun Wright-Phillips 'would love to come to Bolton' - Zat Knight
After spending much of last season on the bench, the flying winger would be willing to take a pay cut if it resulted in regular football, according to his close friend
Bolton defender Zat Knight has claimed Shaun Wright-Phillips is open to joining him at the Reebok Stadium.
Wright-Phillips, 29, has struggled to establish himself under Roberto Mancini at Manchester City and started just two league matches last season.
The former Chelsea man has long been linked with a move away from Eastlands, and is apparently keen on playing for Owen Coyle's side.
Knight told Bolton News: "I always talk to Shaun and he's a very good friend of mine. And speaking to him, he'd love to come to Bolton.
"He's at that age now where he needs to be playing first-team football week in, week out.
"I think he hasn't played regularly for the last two seasons. It's about playing football and then the rest will come."
The defender believes money would not be an option for Wright-Phillips as he think he would be open to taking a cut in salary.
He added: "If he had to take a pay cut then I think he would do, because he could progress at Wanderers and then something else could happen.
"But he's a fantastic player and if people like that want to play here, then it shows how far the club has come."
Wright-Phillips reportedly came close to joining Fulham in last January’s transfer window and has been linked with a move away again during recent weeks.

Barcelona & Manchester City target Alexis Sanchez 'would cause more havoc in England' than in Spain – Udinese team-mate Maurizio Domizzi
Defender believes his Chilean colleague would be better suited to the Premier League than La Liga or Serie A, despite the 22-year-old favouring a move to the European champions
Udinese defender Maurizio Domizzi believes that his team-mate Alexis Sanchez would be better suited to playing football in England than Spain, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Barcelona all in the hunt for the Chilean.
Recent reports suggest that the 22-year-old favours a move to Barcelona over any other club, but his team-mate believes he would be better served plying his trade in the Premier League.
"It's normal that a player like him is fascinated by Barcelona," Domizzi is quoted by Repubblica. "Barcelona has a charm and a particular calling.
"Someone with his characteristics, though, could cause more havoc in England than what he could do in the Spanish or Italian league."
Sanchez scored 12 goals last season to help Udinese qualify for the Champions League, and Domizzi states that despite rumoured interest in him from Siena, he will stay with his current side.
He continued: "My future? It's easy enough to talk. I've been in Udine the last few years. We've reached the preliminary stage in the Champions League and there should be nothing happening in the immediate term.
"[The Siena link] was something I read in the papers. I have a direct relationship with the management at Udinese. If there was something real I would have spoken to them about it."
Another player attracting interest at the Italian club is Gokhan Inler, the Swiss midfielder who has been linked with Napoli.
"Inler is a reserved young man, and he has some decisions to make with the people closest to him," he said.
"In Udine we are used to market talk; we expected a lot of attention after last season when the younger players were put on display.

Joe Hart falls victim to Twitter naked photo leaks
England and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart is among several Premier League stars who have had naked photos of themselves leaked onto Twitter by a mystery internet user.
The former Shrewsbury Town stopper was secretly snapped in the dressing room at both home and away games, with the likes of Wales forward Craig Bellamy also targeted.
According to reports, the photographer, who claims to work for Chelsea and TV firm Endemol, taunted some of the victims of the stunt over Twitter.
“My perfect day was when I seen Joe Hart in the shower for the first time,” said one post.
The Twitter user claims to have similar pictures of almost every Premier League player.

With an eye on the first English Premiership League game of the season <cough> coming up we begin to focus on ....

Welsh Bollox

Rangel Pens New 3 Year Deal At Swansea City
Rangel has agreed terms on a new 3 year deal and will be signing on the dotted line within the next few weeks.
The 28 year old Spaniard has spent 4 years with the Swans and in that time has collected a League One winners medal and was one of five Swansea players named in team of the year.
Rangel has attracted interest from Blackpool and Fulham in recent times, so his decision to stay on at the Liberty will please Brendan Rodgers and the Swansea fans alike.
Swans chairman Huw Jenkins is said to be delighted with the out-come of discussions over personal terms.
He added: 'We are very happy to secure Angel's future for the next three years.
'He has played a big role in the club's success since he arrived here, and we were very keen for him to be part of our plans going into the Premier League.
'Over the last few years there has been interest from Premier League clubs in Angel, but he is very pleased to have achieved his dream of reaching the Premier League with the club he left his native Spain for.'
Rangel played a pivotal role for Swansea City last year, making 41 appearances and scoring twice. He has made 159 career appearances for the club.

BITTER WOMAN GROWS BOLLOX
Former Arsenal director Lady Bracewell-Smith: Sack the current board
Ex-board member claims she left as peers "couldn't handle a woman" working with them, and calls for a "younger, more pro-active" set of people to run the Gunners
Former Arsenal director Lady Bracewell-Smith has launched a furious attack on the club's current board by stating they should be sacked for failing to take the Gunners forward.
Bracewell-Smith sold her 15.9 per cent holding to Stan Kroenke in April 2011, and upset at the lck of progress seen at the Emirates in recent years.
"I agree that the current board should all go," Bracewell-Smith ranted on Twitter.
"They are passe. Have nothing more to give to the club at all.
"In time we will need a more dynamic pro-active younger board, and a good directional leadership."
The current board comprises of Kroenke, chairman Peter Hill-Wood, chief executive Ivan Gazidis and directors Ken Friar, Sir Chips Keswick, Lord Harris of Peckham.
Bracewell-Smith added: "In time we will need a more dynamic pro-active younger board, and a good directional leadership."
When questioned as to why she was sacked from the board she responded: "[They] couldn't handle a woman with power on the board. Felt insecure. Male chauvinism."
The former board member also responded to calls from fans for the return of David Dein, linked to Usmanov's Red & White Holdings group, by claiming he was "the root cause of all the troubles at AFC" and was "unable to work with other board members".
Althoug she later clarified: "Dein loves the club and although sometimes personalities fall out, his contribution at Arsenal has been immense.”

Decent enough piece on the Villa fansite http://www.7500toholte.com
Aston Villa Transfer Rumors: Is Shay Given Headed to Villa Park?
I've seen a few tweets and stories pop up today saying that Sky Bet, the gambling subsidiary of Sky Broadcasting, has suspended betting on Shay Given moving to Aston Villa. I can't figure out their website well enough to confirm this fact, but I think it opens the window for discussion. Obviously, even if it is true, this really doesn't mean much. For one, just because people are throwing enough money at a proposition to make a sports book close it does not mean that it is indeed an guarantee. In fact, betting was closed on several managerial candidates for Villa, and they did not turn out to be the right answers. Additionally, looking at betting lines is a terrible way to judge things. Unless Randy Lerner is speaking directly to bookies (he's not), the information for lines and the like is based on speculation and the amount of money being thrown at something. So caveat emptor, here. Rather than the usual grain of salt, I'd recommend you take this news with one of these.
With all of this said, however, I think this allows us to focus on an aspect of Villa besides the wings and defense. With Brad Friedel gone, it's obvious that Aston Villa need to find themselves a new top-flight keeper for the coming season. Bradley Guzan is a good keeper, and I'm excited to see him in the future with the USMNT. But I don't think he's quite ready to be starting yet, at least not if Villa want to be confident in at least one position on the pitch. Given was a solid keeper for Manchester City before injuries put him on the bench this past season and he got his job (rightfully) stolen by Joe Hart. If we could land Given, Villa wouldn't be doing too badly, I don't think.
The other name I've heard bandied about is West Ham's Rob Green. Now, Green is the source of one of my favorite soccer moments ever, and he's gotten a bit of a black eye because of it. But realistically, Green is one of the best keepers in the Premier League. If we compare him to Brad Friedel (who I think we can all agree had a fantastic season), we find that Green actually comes out ahead in a few categories. Green allowed more goals per game than Friedel, but it appears that they came from a far higher number of shots. When you look at the shots on target/goal, you'll see that Green took more than half a shot more than Friedel to allow a goal.
I'm not certain that this is the best statistic to illustrate my point, but to my eyes it tells us that the fact Green allowed more goals was due more to West Ham's defense than his skills as a keeper. Neither Green nor Given are best-in-the-world type keepers, but they are both solid. Neither would represent a significant drop from Brad Friedel, and both have an age advantage.
And I think it's important to get the keeper situation settled quickly. Defenders, wingers, and any other outfield players have a significant impact on how a team can play. A keeper, however, seems more binary. Either they are good, or they are not. The keeper will probably affect neither the shape of Aston Villa, nor the tactics. So let's hope that Villa go for the "good" side of the keeper switch. Either Given or Green would fit that spot.

http://www.7500toholte.com/2011/6/28/22 ... villa-park

Arsenal 'expected to complete' £17m Spurs target move
Arsenal to secure Gary Cahill signature this week
The Evening Standard reports that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is on the verge of securing the player's signature Arsenal are reportedly on the verge of securing defender Gary Cahill's signature.
The England international has been linked with a handful of Barclays Premier League clus in recent weeks, with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City both vying for the Bolton Wanderers player's signature.
However, the Evening Standard reports that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is on the verge of securing the player's signature, with both Cahill and Lille striker Gervinho set to pen deals at the Emirates this week.
It's claimed that talks are in advanced stages between both parties in relation to the Cahill transfer, with Arsenal set to activate the player's £17 million release clause or offer a player-plus-cash deal.
A defender is thought to be high on the Gunners' agenda this summer, with Wenger keen to add reinforcements in the position following last season's injury debacle at Arsenal.
The French manager revealed in May that he would be looking to spend in the transfer winddow, providing the 'right' player becomes available to Arsenal, and Cahill appears to fit the bill for the north Londoners.
Local rivals Spurs were also keen on adding the player, with Harry Redknapp keen to strengthen in the defensive area of the pitch as well.
Tottenham Hotspur released Jonathan Woodgate from his contract at White Hart Lane, but injury concerns over captain Ledley King continue to blight the club in defence.
Redknapp is keen to bring in English players as Spurs chase a return to the Champions League, but the club may now have to give up on the player.
An Arsenal source confirmed to Standard Sport that the Emirates outfit are confident of securing the signature.

[bobby brows]

Guardian print shit uniformed article about city

Manchester City's interest in Gary Cahill has waned and the club are looking at the Montenegro defender Stefan Savic, one of several lower-profile players identified as potential recruits.

While City have not been put off by the negative vibes coming from Alexis Sánchez's camp about making the Udinese player their marquee signing of the summer, the FA Cup winners have distanced themselves from Santos's claims that they are one of five clubs offering around £40.4m to release the buy-out clause in Neymar's contract.

On the contrary, Uefa's incoming financial fair play regulations mean City have a more moderate list of targets than would ordinarily be anticipated of a club with such financial power. Savic, a 20-year-old centre-half, is a case in point, with City opening formal talks with Partizan Belgrade about a possible £7m deal. Aly Cissokho, the Lyon left-back, has also been watched extensively, as has Fiorentina's Alessio Cerci, a left-winger Roberto Mancini first tried to sign a year ago.

City had made several inquiries to Bolton Wanderers about Cahill's availability, going as far as discussing player-plus-cash exchanges involving, at different stages, Dedryck Boyata and Nedum Onuoha. However, that trail has gone cold, despite Mancini concluding before the end of last season that Joleon Lescott was not necessarily the man to partner Vincent Kompany at centre-back.

Mancini could also be construed as having reservations about Aleksandar Kolarov given his interest in Cissokho, a 23-year-old who briefly took over from Patrice Evra as France's first-choice left-back when the Manchester United player was serving his post-World Cup suspension from the national side.

Kolarov had a difficult first year in English football after his £16m signing from Lazio, and left-back has become a problem position for Mancini, with the right-footed Pablo Zabaleta often switching sides. Cissokho, however, would not be cheap. He cost £13m when Lyon brought him back to France from Porto last year.

Savic, who played at right-back for Montenegro in their 0-0 draw against England at Wembley last October, is not regarded as someone who could go into the City team straight away on a regular basis, but his appears to be the more advanced deal, despite coming with its own complications. There are issues surrounding whether he would be eligible for a work permit and Partizan have misgivings about letting him go before their Champions League qualifying matches.

There is no end in sight to City's attempt to reach a compromise with Udinese over Sánchez and see off competition from Barcelona. Sánchez, who will cost around £30m, has been quoted in El Mundo Deportivo as saying: "Either it's Barcelona or I will stay [at Udinese]." However, City appear to be relaxed about being his second choice behind the European Cup winners and will continue working on the deal while simultaneously trying to drum up some interest in the 10 or so players who do not figure in Mancini's plans.

Emmanuel Adebayor has turned down moves to Zenit St Petersburg and Paris St-Germain, setting his sights higher after spending part of last season at Real Madrid. The problem for City is that his salary, in excess of £150,000 a week, puts him in a bracket of players whom only a small and elite band of clubs can afford.

City have also been hampered by their awarding of lucrative contracts to players who have now fallen out of favour. Wayne Bridge, for example, is on £90,000 a week, and Craig Bellamy even more, and it may be they have to take a pay cut if they are to move to clubs where they stand a decent chance of playing regularly.

Shaun Wright-Phillips is wanted by Bolton Wanderers and his close friend Zat Knight is confident they can become team-mates next season. The Bolton defender said: "I always talk to Shaun ... and speaking to him, he'd love to come to Bolton. If he had to take a pay cut then I think he would do."