Manchester City have been warned they will have to pay £88million if they want to replace Carlos Tevez with Porto striker Hulk in the January transfer window.
Tevez looks certain to be sold in the new year - with AC Milan his most likely destination - after flying home to Argentina without permission and refusing to return to the UK.
The loss of Tevez has left City boss Roberto Mancini with limited options up front and although he has said publicly he is happy with his squad, it is thought he wants to bring in a new striker next month.
Among his rumoured targets is Brazil international Hulk, who scored 36 times as Porto won the Europa League and Portuguese domestic double last season.
However, the 25-year-old's agent, Teodoro Fonseca, has revealed Porto will not consider selling unless they receive an offer in excess of the world transfer record.
'Five clubs have offered £40million and Porto didn't accept it,' he told the Sunday Express.
'Only if someone meets the £88million buyout clause – if it happened, it couldn't be blocked.'
Fonseca did not name the clubs involved, but Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal were all linked with Hulk last summer.
ACE ALEXANDRE PATO HAS KEY ROLE IN CARLOS TEVEZ DEAL TRANSFER
SERIE A giants AC Milan are ready to offer Brazil striker Alexandre Pato to Manchester City in a bid to end the Carlos Tevez saga.
Milan want the AWOL Tevez on loan in January but are now considering proposing a swap deal involving Pato, 22.
City aren’t keen on a temporary move for the Argentina striker, unless there is a guarantee of a permanent deal.
But City boss Roberto Mancini might be more interested in a swap if Brazil defender Thiago Silva, 27, is involved.
Silva, though, is valued by Milan at £40million and they would prefer to keep him.
Mancini also has other striker targets in Napoli’s Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani and has been strongly linked with Arsenal hotshot Robin Van Persie.
Pato, a £24m signing from Internacional, has also been linked with Chelsea. Napoli and AC’s neighbours Inter, plus Brazilian club Corinthians are also interested in Tevez.
A source claimed last night that AC have not, as yet, put a swap proposal on the table. But the Daily Star Sunday understands it is an option being seriously considered by the Italian club.
Meanwhile, Sergio Aguero has been described by his former Atletico Madrid team-mate, Everton defender Johnny Heitinga, as the final piece in City’s title jigsaw.
Heitinga, who admits to whacking him in training without a whimper from the Argentina striker, said: “He’s unbelievable. I told my colleagues when City signed him that he’s one of the best players I have ever played with.
“Sergio could be the difference to City winning the title or not. He’s that important. They have got a few really good players but he is one special player.”
City forced to pay £250k to Norwich in keeper transfer wrangle
Manchester City will have to pay £250,000 for England youth keeper Angus Gunn - with the tribunal fee much less than Norwich City wanted.
The teenage talent quit the Canaries to sign for megabucks City and the wrangle over the transfer has ended with an independent panel setting the price.
Norwich wanted £1 million plus add-ons for their home-grown kid, who is the son of former boss and club legend Bryan.
Gunn junior - a regular in England’s youth side - chose to advance his career at City despite all of the competition he will face to make the first team when he is older.
City will have to pay some extras for Gunn down the line if he becomes a first-team player and ultimately succeeds England number one Joe Hart.
Gunn is already making strides at Roberto Mancini’s club. He is in the FA Youth Cup side at just 16, typical of his record of playing ‘above his age.’
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