Manchester City must put together a £45m deal to land Sergio Aguero.
The big spenders have submitted a £40m bid for the striker, who is Diego Maradona's son-in-law. But City need to come up with another £5m to invoke his release clause from Atletico Madrid.
Aguero, 23, is keen to move to City and is prepared to leave his new £5m home in Madrid. Aguero's agent Jose Segui is due in Manchester in the next 48 hours to persuade City to offer the additional funds.
A proposed move to Juventus broke down last month because the former European champions refused to up their £40m offer, while Atletico will not budge on their valuation and the terms of his release clause.
Segui will also tell the FA Cup winners his client wants £7m a year - well within their budget.
City boss Roberto Mancini has identified the Argentina striker as the successor to Carlos Tevez. And a deal for Aguero would pave the way for the City skipper's exit.
Tevez, the club's top scorer last season, has told City he wants to leave.
Financial fair play is merely a way to stifle City By Martin Samuel
Perhaps UEFA could be persuaded to rule on a fair price for Manchester City defender Jerome Boateng. Those guys seem to know the value of everything these days.
They know how much a stadium naming rights deal is worth at a club that may - or may not - be on the brink of becoming one of the most significant in Europe.
They know what a kit deal should mean to a team that may - or may not - be about to win Europe's richest domestic league.
Welcome to the Etihad Stadium: Manchester City struck a huge £400m deal to rename Eastlands last week
And they can put a precise price on a fledgling project involving transport infrastructure, retail and sports education in the Greater Manchester area that may - or may not - create a new and vibrant entrepreneurial hub to the east of the city.
Indeed, it is hard to imagine why we continue listening to those bozos who made such a pig's ear of judging the financial fortunes of the Mediterranean countries, when all the finest economic forecasters in Europe can be found hanging around Michel Platini's office in Nyon.
UEFA have announced they will look into Manchester City's £400million, 10-year sponsorship arrangement with Etihad Airways, to see if financial fair play rules have been contravened.
'Our experts will make assessments of fair value using benchmarks,' said a spokesman.
What benchmarks are these?
City are all about potential right now. They could be anything, or nothing. They could usurp Barcelona or end up in the Europa League next season. And there is no precedent for City as a major European force. What would be the going rate, were City to win the modern Champions League? Who knows? They have never even been in it before.
Yet there is already pressure over the Etihad deal from the old European elite, who feel threatened. They want the arrangement investigated because of very obvious links between Etihad and Manchester City. The airline is owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, whose ruler, Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan is the half brother of City's owner Sheik Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan.
The claim is the figures have been artificially inflated to help City comply with UEFA's financial rules. And maybe they have; but so what? Business is about contacts. There are plenty of deals struck at a certain price because one side is playing a long game, hoping to do better down the line. A company might agree a significant discount to reel in a wealthy client; another might make a generous offer to establish a relationship and benefit in the future.
The microcosm is giving a busy tradesman a generous tip at first, in the hope of then being able to call on his services and time more regularly.
Clearly, these examples do not apply to Etihad and City, but they might apply to other major clubs in Europe and to a business that wanted a foot in the door at, say, Manchester United or Real Madrid.
What would UEFA do then? Ban their clubs from cutting a good deal? It will be interesting to see such restrictive measures tested in court. Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, is believed to be among those protesting against the Manchester City deal behind the scenes, but he has vested interests on several fronts.
Right now, there is a significant rift between the clubs over Germany defender Boateng: Munich have offered £12m, City want nearer £20m. 'City demand a price which is not realistic,' Rummenigge says.
So now you see how it works. The big clubs want City's sponsorship by Etihad suppressed, but also wish to steal their players on the cheap. So City get gypped two ways - it is almost as if the clubs are scared of their capacity to generate money.
As chairman of the European Club Association, Rummenigge rarely misses a chance to raise an issue happily to Bayern Munich's advantage, and this is no exception. Not satisfied with Munich's immense wealth and standing in the domestic and European game - which will only be further cemented by the financial fair play rule - Rummenigge wishes to take out all interlopers, too.
City represent the greatest threat to that established order and, therefore, must be stopped.
Munich want a return to the days when the big clubs could just bully their way to a cheap deal. In Rummenigge's mind, City are impudent upstarts, their business unworthy of a £400m sponsorship, their players unworthy of a £20m bid; and UEFA are complicit in this arrogance.
From the start, financial fair play was only going to benefit the very wealthiest or the smallest clubs without ambition. Those looking to build, to grow, to succeed, were going to be stifled. So it is proving.
Munich do not want City to make money in the marketplace or in the transfer market, then they want their available funds to be fixed to income.
It is a shameful racket, but no doubt the economic gurus at UEFA will find a solution; they are so wise.
Aston Villa pencil in Manchester City winger if Downing wants to leave
Aston Villa have pencilled in Manchester City winger Craig Bellamy should Stewart Downing decide he wants to join Liverpool this summer and Dalglish increases the clubs initial bid.
Villa rejected Liverpool’s first offer for £15m for the England international but feel an improved bid could create enough funds to bring in Charles N’Zogbia from Wigan, and Manchester City’s Craig Bellamy to cover the loss of Young and Downing. Villa are close to finalising deals for N’Zogbia and City keeper Shay Given however they will enquire about the services of Bellamy should Downing head to Anfield.
Wright-Phillips was reportedly another target for the Villans however it is believed the 29 year olds favoured choice is that of Bolton Wanderers.
Kenny Burns column: It's time for Manchester City to show Tevez who is boss
CARLOS Tevez has issued a statement saying he wants to leave Manchester City....again.
Family reasons have been cited as his wife refuses to live in Manchester, where it tends to rain a bit, and he misses his two young daughters.
So if he ends up being allowed to leave and play his football in his homeland of Argentina, it will show he wants to be with his family, where they are settled.
But, if he pops up in another European city, like London, Madrid or Milan, then you will have to look at him and say was it really all about his family?
The thing is, Tevez earns a reported £200,000 a week salary and he was happy to sign a long-term contract at Eastlands when it suited him.
On the pitch, he had produced the goods but if you commit to a contract, you honour it.
And when you are being paid these vast amounts of money, really you should be prepared to live anywhere. On the moon if need be.
But if it is not about money, go back to South America for a tenth of the salary and enjoy more time with the missus and kids.
As far as Manchester City are concerned, money is no issue so they should dig their heels in and make an example of Tevez.
Let him rot in the reserves if need be.
Manchester City throw money around like confetti so keep doing it with the Argentinean, just don't let him get his own way and then move to another massive club in Europe.
At the end of the day, if Mrs Tevez cannot settle in Manchester because of home sickness, will she be able to settle in Italy or Spain? They are still thousands of miles away from Argentina.
Player power has become too great in the game and it is about time some of them were not allowed to get their way.
And by making a player honour his contract, no matter what, it might make a few others think twice before signing them in the future. You cannot have it both ways.
But the thing is, Tevez will find it hard to give the money up.
If ever there was a time for a football club to take a stand and show who is boss, this is it.
OTHER BOLLOX
Double delight for Arsenal as Wenger says Fabregas and Nasri will stay at the Emirates
Arsene Wenger is claiming to have won the battle to hold on to his two main stars after insisting Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri will stay at Arsenal.
Fabregas has been linked with a £35million deal to rejoin his boyhood club Barcelona, while Samir Nasri was believed to be on the brink of a £20m move to Manchester City.
The France international has one year to run on his current deal, and has so far refused to sign a new contract.
But when asked if Nasri would commit to a new deal, Wenger, who was speaking in Kuala Lumpar during Arsenal's pre-season tour of Asia, said: 'Why not? Samir Nasri is very happy at Arsenal Football Club.'
French resistance: Wenger told the awaiting media that Nasri and Fabregas will stay at the Emirates
French newspaper L'Equipe reported on Monday morning that Nasri would see out the remaining 12 months of his contract. And Wenger is hopeful he will be able to persuade the playmaker to commit to the Emirates.
Failure to do so however, would see him leave for free next summer.
Let's shake on it: Wenger, pictured with Robin van Persie and Bacary Sagna was in defiant mood on Monday
The Arsenal manager also confirmed that the club have signed Gervinho from Lille.The Ivory Coast international will join the Gunners in a deal worth £10.6m, and will begin training at London Colney on Monday.
Fears over the future of Michael Essien could prompt new Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas to return to Porto for £35m-rated midfielder Joao Moutinho. the Sun
Tottenham have moved ahead of Arsenal in the pursuit of Blackburn defender Chris Samba. the Mirror
Inter Milan are willing to sell Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder to Manchester United, but will demand that winger Nani moves to the San Siro as part of the deal. caughtoffside.com
Charlie Adam's arrival at Liverpool could see fellow midfielder Joe Cole leave for Hamburg. Metro
Liverpool are planning an audacious move for Everton left-back Leighton Baines. caughtoffside.com
But the Reds have lost ground to Arsenal in pursuit of Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing. Metro
Villa have put a £20m price tag on 26-year-old England international Downing. the Sun
Liverpool and Aston Villa will have to fork out at least £20m to sign Wigan winger Charles N'Zogbia. the Sun
Midfielder Scott Parker's exit from West Ham will be finalised this week with Aston Villa and Tottenham vying for his signature. Daily Mail
Hull City say that QPR are interested in midfielder Jimmy Bullard. Talksport
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is considering making an official approach for Werder Bremen defender Per Mertesacker. footie-online.co.uk
Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner and goalkeeper Manuel Almunia are set to leave the club this week. Bendtner is in Germany to have talks with Borussia Dortmund, while Almunia is likely to join Atletico Madrid. Daily Star
Wolves are weighing up a move for West Ham defender James Tomkins after missing out on Reading's Matt Mills. Talksport
Leicester want to sign Liverpool's 30-year-old defender Paul Konchesky for £1.5m. the Sun
West Brom are set to offer former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves the chance to stay in the Premier League.the Mirror
Striker David Nugent says Leicester City's ambition of winning promotion to the Premier League convinced him to sign for the Foxes. Talksport
Midfielder Darron Gibson's move from Manchester United to Sunderland has broken down over the Republic of Ireland international's wage demands. Daily Mail
Former Liverpool and England striker Robbie Fowler has signed for Thai outfit Muang Thong United. the Mirror
David and Victoria Beckham have named their new-born daughter Harper Seven Beckham.... wtf
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