ROBERTO MANCINI is poised to go back in for Daniele De Rossi with an £8million bid in January.
Manchester City boss Mancini was blaming a lack of midfielders after seeing his side blow a 2-0 lead in Sunday's draw at Fulham.
And now he is set to return for Roma's Italian international when the transfer window reopens in January.
Mancini fancied anchorman De Rossi in the summer but City's paymasters were keen to balance the books after signing Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri for a combined £59m.
But SunSport understands Mancini has received encouraging signals from his Italian contacts that tough-tackling De Rossi, out of contract next year, is refusing to sign a new deal — and that he has had his head turned by City.
Roma put a £25m price tag on the player and in the summer Mancini said: "De Rossi would be absolutely perfect.I rate him one of the best midfielders in the world."
It was previously thought De Rossi would never leave the Italian capital but Roma are refusing to be held to ransom over his demands for £170,000 a week. SUN
Patrick Vieira has told talkSHIT Manchester City and Manchester United can now boast the biggest rivalry in world football.
Roberto Mancini’s expensively assembled side are being tipped to mount a Champions League and Premier League title challenge this season.
And Vieira reckons City’s emergence has made the Manchester derby as big as any other fixture in the world.
The two sides will meet at Old Trafford on October 23 and former City star Vieira, who now works as an ambassador for the club, said: “Everybody is talking about the derby already and it will be really exciting.
“I think it is now one of the biggest derbies around the world. When you compare AC-Inter and Barcelona-Real, I think United-City will be at the same level now.”
City dropped their first league points of the season against Fulham on Sunday after letting slip a two goal lead, but Vieira insists the club can still be happy with the start they have made.
“It’s a fantastic start for the football club," he added. "Of course we were a little bit disappointed because when you lead 2-0 we feel like we dropped two points, but that's how it is and it's really important not to lose the game. But we can be really happy with the start."
[spoiler]

OTHER BOLLOX
Mega-rich Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala are set to raid the Premier League for England midfielders Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. The club, who recently made Samuel Eto'o the world's highest-paid player, are reportedly prepared to hand the pair two-year contracts worth £13m a season. Metro
Chelsea are plotting a £20m January swoop for Everton's talented midfield starlet Ross Barkley. Daily Mirror
Brazilian striker Neymar, 19, is to become the fourth most expensive player of all time after Real Madrid agreed a £53m fee for the Santos striker. Daily Mail
Chelsea are keeping a watching brief on Borussia Dortmund's German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and Serbian defender Neven Subotic, although they are not expected to make a move when the transfer window opens in January. Footybunker
Liverpool are set to battle Inter Milan for the signature of Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen after Arsenal dropped out of the race for the Belgian. talkSHIT
Tottenham are weighing up a move for Switzerland goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic after his club Olympiakos Volos were relegated to Greece's amateur league for their part in a match-fixing scandal. Daily Mail
Former Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra has ruled out a return to the Premier League after saying he wants to see out his contract at Real Madrid. talkSHIT
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has turned down Burnley's bid to sign 18-year-old midfielder Paul Pogba on loan. Daily Mirror
Angry Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has warned that their whole season is now in danger unless they learn from the loss at Blackburn. Daily Mirror
Manchester United will pay out a record £5m in bonuses to more than 500 Old Trafford staff. The Glazer family, who own the club, wrote to employees to tell them they are all in line for a 7.9 per cent bonus on their annual salary in recognition of the club's success. Daily Mail
Contrary to some reports, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will rely on his present coaching staff to erase his team's defensive frailties - refusing to opt for a specialist to improve the Premier League's leakiest defence. Guardian
Queens Park Rangers players reserved a baby high chair for 5ft 5in new signing Shaun Wright-Phillips at the hotel where they stayed ahead of their clash with Wolves at the weekend. Daily Star
MORE BOLLOX LATER ....