Manchester City expect to win the Premier League next season, according to midfield star Yaya Toure.
The Ivory Coast international enjoyed a successful debut campaign in England following his £24million move from Barcelona.
Aand after securing the all-important step of Champions League qualification, the 28-year-old is now planning on going one better.
‘The new season will be very, very hard and we need to improve, because this season the club will play in the Champions League,’ said the FA Cup winner.
‘We expect to stay in the top four of the Premier League - and we expect to win the Premier League
'Now we are coming with more confidence and the players know each other better. I think this year will be fantastic for us.'
By their recent standards City have had a quiet summer in the transfer market, with only Gael Clichy, Stefan Savic, and Denis Suarez signed so far - and for modest fees.
But the young Suarez, signed from Celta Vigo, has really caught Toure’s eye, with the midfielder already predicting big things for the highly-rated 17-year-old.
‘He's young and he has an amazing ability to take the ball, like all the Spanish players, and I think it's fantastic for the club,’ he added.
Carlos Tevez edges closer to Manchester City exit as Corinthians up bid to £40million
Corinthians have made an improved £40million offer for unhappy Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez and set a weekend take-it-or-leave-it deadline.
City, who insist they will not take a penny less than £50m, have already rejected a £37m bid from the Brazilians.
Tevez, 27, is desperate to return to South America to be near his family and has asked to leave Eastlands.
The clock is ticking, however, with the transfer deadline due to close in Brazil next Wednesday, which means that Tevez needs to start talking terms by Monday at the latest.
Corinthians president Andres Sanchez claimed last night that Italian giants Juventus had joined the race and were prepared to pay £45.6m.
'City have an offer from Juventus but Tevez does not want to remain in Europe,' said Sanchez. 'I still dream of the possibility of signing him but it depends on Manchester City, and the player’s decision means a lot.'
Tevez, who finished joint top Barclays Premier League scorer with 20 goals, has two years left on his City deal.
He has never settled in the north-west, despite his time at United and City, and has set his heart on joining Corinthians for a second time so he can spend more time with his two daughters.
City may decide that selling to a South American club is preferable to allowing Tevez to join potential future rivals.
Mancini hopes to sign Nasri before August
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini remains confident he can bring Samir Nasri to Eastlands, despite Arsenal's insistence that the midfielder is not for sale.
Nasri, who has just one year left on his Arsenal contract, has been linked with both City and arch-rivals Manchester United
Wenger has claimed he is willing to risk losing Nasri on a free transfer next season rather than sell the France international this summer, but Mancini is confident of sealing a deal before the end of July.
"Samir is under contract with Arsenal. Also for Samir it depends on many things," Mancini told Sky Sports News."
"I hope that we can buy [him] because we need other players, and I hope that this player can arrive before the end of the month."
Mancini happy to see Ade go
City boss hopes for striker to seal Real deal
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini admits he is happy to see Emmanuel Adebayor leave the club for Real Madrid.
As revealed by skysports.com earlier this week, Real have rekindled their interest in bringing Adebayor back to the Bernabeu on a permanent basis following his spell in the Spanish capital last season.
Adebayor has been left out of City's pre-season tour to America as he has been deemed surplus to requirements in Mancini's plans.
Former Arsenal man Adebayor has never hidden his desire to return to Real with the 27-year-old claiming he will reject all other offers to make the move to Madrid.
Mancini is hoping a deal can be struck to see Adebayor get his wish to move to Real.
"I hope for him that he can do this (join Madrid) and also Real Madrid can buy him," Mancini told Sky Sports News.
"If Manu is happy with this I am happy for him."
Or is he off to Spurs?
Although previously Manchester City have been highly reluctant to sell any of their players to their Premiership rivals, this may soon come to an end. According to the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur have now made enquiries about the availability of Emmanuel Adebayor .
Adebayor had a successful spell on loan last season at Real Madrid, and he has been quoted as saying “if (he) could play three or four years in Madrid and (he) would retire with the club”. However, Los Blancos are believed to have other targets, with Jose Mourinho favouring Porto striker Radamel Falcao , and in which case, a deal for Adebayor would hinge upon them not signing their preferred man. Spurs though are thought to have offered to loan Adebayor for the season, with an option to buy should he perform well for them.
The question is, should Mancini be selling or even loaning players to potential rivals?
Tottenham’s front line last season was pretty woeful and as this window progresses they seem very slow out the blocks to find better men. Adebayor wouldn’t warm the all the cockles in N17, but he has to be an improvement on Defoe and Crouch who only managed to scrape together a handful of goals between them last term.
Mancini gives Shaun Wright-Phillips hope of a Manchester City future - MuEN
Shaun Wright-Phillips’s City career has been thrown a lifeline by boss Roberto Mancini.
The Blues manager has hinted that the 29-year-old winger could play his way back into his plans – if he has a good pre-season in California.
Wright-Phillips is lined up to play a part in the opening match of City’s tour, against Mexican side Club America, in San Francisco tonight.
But it appeared at the start of the summer that Wright-Phillips was heading for the exit, especially with the Blues hot on the trail of Alexis Sanchez.
There was strong interest from both Bolton and Wigan, but no concrete offers for the £7million-rated Wright-Phillips.
Sanchez is on the verge of joining Barcelona, and that could leave an opening for the England man.
Said Mancini: “Shaun is here with us in America and he is working hard.
“We will have to see what happens during pre-season because he has Manchester City in his blood, but he’s still a young guy and it’s not easy for me to leave him on the bench all the time.
“We will see what happens and need to find a solution that makes him happy, but everything is possible.”
The City manager also repeated his desire to see Carlos Tevez stay, even as City denied that they have had a £45million bid from Juventus.
“I’m not sure what is happening with Carlos Tevez at this moment,” said Mancini, who has left the negotiating to chief executive Garry Cook and football administration officer Brian Marwood.
“Obviously I would want him to stay because he is someone who is very difficult to replace, but if he goes, this is football and there is nothing anyone can do about it.”
Mancini has also warned his team that, despite the fans’ euphoria at ending 35 trophy-less years last season, the FA Cup was not an endpoint for the club.
“The FA Cup should be the start for us,” said Mancini, expected to field a mixture of first-teamers and fringe players in tonight’s game at the AT&T Stadium
“I think that for us the most important thing for us last season was that we won the cup. But now it is important to continue to work well, to improve.
“I am very happy with the way we have started this pre-season on this tour. The players are working very well and it is very important that we work like this.
“It is important to have a good confidence going into the new season. We can work with tranquillity here, and I think the mentality of the squad was changed last year.
“But now it is a new season, the past is finished, and this will be a very hard and long season for us.”
Ayre questions City deal
Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre has become the latest figure to question Manchester City's record £400million sponsorship deal with Etihad Airlines.
The contract includes naming rights for Eastlands, a major input into a yet-to-be-built training facility close to the stadium and an extension of their shirt sponsorship. As Etihad are an airline based in Abu Dhabi, home of Blues owner Sheikh Mansour, concerns have been aired that the deal has been artificially inflated to help City achieve UEFA's demand to live within their means as part of their financial fair play initiative.
Quoted by The Independent on the club's pre-season tour of Asia, Ayre said: "Is Etihad, Manchester City and Sheikh Mansour a related party? If they are, then it's up to UEFA to rule on them."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger earlier this week claimed the deal "raises the real question about the credibility of Financial Fair Play" - a sentiment Ayre has echoed.
He added: "When I spoke at Soccerex earlier this year, I was on a panel about financial fair play. The guys from UEFA who are managing it said there would be a robust and proper process about related-party transactions."
Of the stadium name change, he added: "It hasn't happened anywhere in Europe where a football club has renamed its existing stadium and it's had real value.
"It was called the City of Manchester Stadium or Eastlands for the last nine years and now it's going to be called something else - and someone has attached a huge amount of value to that.
"I find that odd because there is no benchmark in football that says you can rename your stadium and generate that amount of value. Mike Ashley tried it at Newcastle [sportsdirect.com@St James' Park]. But nobody calls it that and it doesn't have that kind of value."
City on Tuesday night issued a statement branding Wenger's comments "unfounded and regrettable".
The statement added: "Manchester City is a pro-active member of the European Clubs Association and is working actively and with transparency with regard to financial fair play."
OTHER BOLLOX
Chelsea are ready to return with an improved offer of nearly £30m for Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric. Daily Mirror
Arsenal have tabled a £14m bid for Anderlecht striker Romelu Lukaku as manager Arsene Wenger looks to beat rivals Chelsea to the 18-year-old striker's signature. the Sun
Brazilian outfit Corinthians have made an improved £40m offer for unhappy Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez and set a weekend take-it-or-leave-it deadline. Daily Mail
QPR are ready to offer former Portsmouth striker Danny Webber a one-year deal after he impressed on trial at Loftus Road. Daily Mail
Full-back Jose Enrique is holding out for an offer from Arsenal if he is to leave Newcastle, manager Alan Pardew has hinted. Metro
AC Milan are ready to compete with Chelsea for Kaka. The Brazilian forward spent six years at the Italian giants before joining Real Madrid. footie-online.co.uk
Real Madrid are preparing to make a bid for Arsenal striker Robin van Persie as Jose Mourinho looks to boost his Bernabeu attacking options. caughtoffside.com
Aston Villa will launch a spending spree next week with Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given, Wigan winger Charles N'Zogbia, West Ham midfielder Scott Parker and Tottenham full-back Alan Hutton on their hit-list. Daily Mirror
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce wants to add both Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe of Tottenham Hotspur to his attack. footybunker.com
Tottenham open talks with Roma over £15m move for striker Mirko Vucinic goal.com
Barcelona are so confident of landing Cesc Fabregas this summer, they have set aside the Arsenal star's beloved number four shirt for him. Daily Mirror
QPR boss Neil Warnock admits he was surprised by the lack of transfer funds given to him his summer - but is still confident he'll have a squad equipped for Premier League survival. Talksport
Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher is set to miss the start of the season with a stomach virus. Fletcher missed two months of last term with a mystery stomach virus and is understood to have fallen ill again. the Sun
Werder Bremen's players appear to have an usual approach to pre-season training - staging a Shetland ponies race to help with team bonding. Metro
BEADY EYED BOLLOX
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