Manchester City are closing in on Atletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente - and are ready to pay the €36million buy-out clause in his contract.
Reports in Spanish newspaper AS claim the new Premier League champions have already met with the forward's brother Chus, who also acts as his agent.
It has been reported that meeting took place on April 27, when Eastlands officials made clear their desire to take the 27-year-old Spanish international to England.
The paper says City are willing to splash out that huge fee as they believe Llorente could be the perfect partner for this season's top scorer, Sergio Aguero. Talkshit
Barry believes City title victory will lead to a glut of silverware
Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry is convinced there will be more trophies to follow after the ecstasy of winning a first league title for 44 years.
Barry accepted he took a leap of faith when he left Aston Villa for City three years ago.
For all the money being spent by Sheikh Mansour, there was no guarantee of success for a club who tend to revel in failure.
However, in winning last season's FA Cup and then landing the Premier League trophy this term, City are, in manager Roberto Mancini's words, changing the course of history.
And Barry is certain it is only the start.
'Looking back three years ago words were put in my head,' he said.
'But words are so easily spoken and I really thought long and hard about the decision to come here.
'In the end, I believed the people who told me this club was going places and the type of player they were going to sign.
'I just thought it was the right decision and that is how it has turned out.
'And, by the end of my contract, I am sure there will be even more trophies too.'
In fact, the 30-year-old believes last weekend's seismic events makes further glory even more likely.
'It will make everyone even hungrier,' he said.
'When we remember what it felt like, in that changing room afterward, will make everyone want it more.
'I am sure that will happen. People said the first Premier League title was going to be the hardest one. And it was really hard to get over that line.'
Barry admits the negativity that would have surrounded the club without that dramatic five minutes of injury time would have been immense.
In the build-up to the game, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson spoke of the 'untold damage' that could be created by a City failure.
To that end, Barry accepts the true impact of those late, late goals from Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero goes far beyond merely winning one game, or even one trophy.
'They could be everything,' he said.
'You can imagine how we would have felt if we hadn't managed to get the winner and what the difference in the dressing room would have been like.
'That says it all really. I am sure it can be the start of history.'
It certainly condemned title rivals United to a miserable summer as they pondered where it all went wrong.
That when their own game finished at Sunderland they were technically champions is just part of the pain. The real reason to lament comes from tossing away an eight-point lead in the space of four matches, the first of which, a defeat at Wigan, was the night when City began to think the impossible comeback was on.
'It all turned on our win over West Brom,' said Barry.
'Carlos Tevez had come back, which lifted everyone. He was working really hard and started in that game.
'Then we came back to the changing room and found out United had been beaten at Wigan. From that moment on, everyone thought we were right back in it.'
Yet the history books will also underline the significance of City's 6-1 win at Old Trafford, a result that went a long way to establishing the eight-goal swing between the clubs that ultimately decided the title in City's favour.
Beyond that, it provided the self-belief needed to complete a 38-game season on top.
'It's right that result should be mentioned when we speak about the league title,' said Barry. 'It was just so out of the ordinary.'
City set to offer Ibrahimovic £300k-a-week to move to Manchester
Manchester City have made a move for AC Milan’s £25m-rated striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
And manager Roberto Mancini is prepared to pay the Swedish striker an amazing £300,000 a week to bring him to the Premier League champions.
If successful, it will make him the highest paid player in the Premier League, dwarfing even City midfielder Yaya Toure’s £250,000-a-week deal.
But it is understood that Ibrahimovic, 30, has asked for time to consider the move.
It is Mancini’s second attempt to bring the ex-Barcelona and Juventus striker to The Eithad and this time he is determined to succeed.
Mancini signed Ibrahimovic while at Inter Milan for £22m in 2006.
Keeping hold of the title: Roberto Mancini is keen to strengthen his squad
And now he is ready to break the bank to capture the 6ft 5ins forward by offering a massive signing-on fee, huge bonuses and lucrative image rights — as well as that staggering weekly wage.
Tevez unrepentant over banner
Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez appears to have no intention of apologising to Sir Alex Ferguson for holding a banner mocking the Manchester United manager.
He displayed a sign saying 'RIP Fergie' during the open-top bus parade through Manchester to celebrate City's Barclays Premier League title win on Monday. City expressed "sincerest apologies" and said Tevez had made a "significant error of judgement". A Tevez statement said he got "carried away in the excitement of the moment".
But in comments carried by Argentinian website http://www.ole.com.ar, Tevez said: "It seems like Ferguson is the president of England. Every time he speaks badly about a player or says terrible things about me, nobody says that he has to apologise. [But] when someone comes out with a joke or banter, you have to say sorry - but I don't say sorry."
The placard, passed to Tevez by a fan, is thought to have been a reference to a remark by Ferguson three years ago when asked if United would ever be underdogs against City. "Not in my lifetime," said the Scot.
Tevez was quizzed about the incident on arriving back in his native Argentina for his summer break. He played under Ferguson for two years at Old Trafford before leaving for City in 2009.
In March Ferguson suggested City were desperate in recalling Tevez, 28, following the forward's infamous stand-off with the club, which saw him spend more than three months in Argentina on unauthorised leave.
Ferguson was responding to remarks by City's football development executive Patrick Vieira, who said Paul Scholes' return from retirement for United seemed a sign of weakness.
Tevez's return to the City side for the title run-in provided them with a much-needed spark in their fight against United. He scored four goals, including one hat-trick, and started the last five games as City overhauled an eight-point deficit to finish ahead of United on goal difference.
Midfielder Gareth Barry said: "When we were eight points behind, it all turned on that win over West Brom. Carlos had come back and that lifted everyone - he was working really hard, and started in that game."
City had no comment when contacted about Tevez's comments.
Chapman rants at Beeb over Mancini
BBC 5 Live sports presenter Mark Chapman has caused a considerable stir within the Corporation by launching a Twitter attack on his bosses over their treatment of a Roberto Mancini interview.
Chapman, regular host of The Monday Night Club and the 606 phone-in show, launched his tirade after being told he could run only a small segment of Robbie Savage’s chat with the Premier League title-winning manager.
Chapman, who has 62,000 followers on Twitter, ranted: ‘Amazing how many people run little empires in this place and want to try and hinder other people’s shows rather than help them.’
He also tweeted: ‘We have a great interview with Roberto Mancini for tonight but have been told we can only use 3 minutes of it rather than 15#joke.’ And Chapman followed up with a list of guests on his MNC programme, adding: ‘...unless somebody wants to scupper them as well.’
A BBC spokesperson would only say Chapman would not be disciplined.
Emmanuel Adebayor: I would love to play for Spurs in the Champions League
In his first interview since the end of the season, striker says he hopes to take the next big step with Tottenham despite worries over his future at the club
Emmanuel Adebayor is uncertain about the future after a successful season at Tottenham but if the striker were in complete control of his destiny, he insists he would commit himself to a longer spell at White Hart Lane.
Adebayor scored 18 goals and provided 11 assists during this campaign, helping Spurs finish fourth in the Premier League. If Bayern Munich beat Chelsea in the Champions League Final on Saturday, it will ensure Spurs are involved in the competition for the second time in three seasons.
Whatever Adebayor’s wishes are, the matter is out of his hands. The 28-year-old has two years to run on a £170,000-a-week contract at Manchester City, figures that put him well above Tottenham’s wage limits. City will allow Adebayor to leave but on their terms, meaning a repeat of the subsidised loan deal that enabled Spurs to sign him last summer is highly unlikely.
While Adebayor does not know what lies ahead, he knows his own mind — and, in his first interview since the end of the season, he speaks it. The forward will leave negotiations in the hands of his representatives while he embarks on a summer in which he hopes to push forward a number of educational projects in his native Togo.
“I don’t know yet whether I’ll be here or not next year but my first choice now would be to stay at Tottenham,” Adebayor said. “I am not going to go on my knees and beg anyone; this is for others to sort out.
“If a deal can be done, then fine. I would love to play for Tottenham. If not, then trust me: I will keep Tottenham in my heart. I am a former Arsenal player, too, but everyone knows how that ended. I know north London very well, my home is here and I have had a fantastic year.
“I am a huge fan of Tottenham now and I love the club. If I am not at the club in the future, I will be following their games and wishing them luck. I played at Arsenal for three years but today I keep Tottenham in my heart more than Arsenal, even though I haven’t played here for as long.
“I have played in the Champions League for Monaco, Arsenal and Real Madrid and I’d love to play there for Tottenham, too, but it’s not only my choice. The fans have been incredible towards me, always showing their support, and hopefully I’ll be in the competition next year. We will see what happens.
“I have great relationships here, with the manager Harry Redknapp, too. People have said certain things about our rapport but we’ve never had an argument. Since I’ve been at Tottenham, everything I’ve done has been to make the club go further. We were fourth and now we will see where we are going to finish next season.”
While Adebayor considers the next step — there are offers from Russia and the US — the former Monaco player is also attempting to improve life for his countrymen in some of the poorest parts of Togo. Adebayor contributes a large amount of his own money to charity initiatives and he is trying to help organise improvements to educational standards in his Togo. He is investigating ways to fund the building of schools in villages many miles from the capital, Lome.
“A lot of people would love to be in my position so whatever it takes to help, I will do it,” he added. “I have the chance to build a school in one of the poorer villages where people are struggling.
“There is a lack of facilities for secondary education. There aren’t computers, some of the teachers aren’t so good, so it’s a tough one. I can’t do everything but whatever we footballers can do to help our continent, we have to do it.
“We are lucky to be where we are today so I have to remember that.”
Adebayor has been friends with Chelsea forward Didier Drogba since the pair were playing in French football and his pride is apparent when he discusses the achievements of Senegalese forwards Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse at Newcastle. He is optimistic about what Spurs can achieve, although he recognises the importance of Champions League qualification to their cause.
While finishing fourth represented a strong effort, Adebayor knows a side who were fighting for the title in January could have achieved more. “Our target was to finish in the top four and today we are fourth but while I will not be harsh, we could have done better,” he added. “We played some great football but there was a point where a bit of tiredness kicked in, and there were injuries to important players, like Aaron Lennon.
“But I can still say we were successful. We finished above Chelsea and Liverpool and we were very close to finishing ahead of Arsenal, and for the first time in many years, we can see that Spurs are closing the gap on Arsenal.
“I don’t know yet where I will be next season but the target has to be to make progress every year. Tottenham were fifth the season before this one, fourth this season, so it is time to try for the top three next year.
“I believe Tottenham are going to become a bigger club, one of the main contenders, but to do that, they have to be in the Champions League. When you are in that competition, you can afford to buy some players and it helps the club. Hopefully Spurs will be there.”
Would Adebayor be part of that adventure? More skilful negotiation from chairman Daniel Levy would be needed but whatever the outcome, Adebayor has already made his mark.
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[/spoiler]OTHER BOLLOX
Manchester United are ready to match Manchester City's bid for Arsenal captain Robin van Persie. The 28-year-old striker's contract at the Emirates Stadium expires at the end of next season. Daily Mirror
Juventus have curtailed their interest in Van Persie, preferring to avoid a bidding war with Manchester City and concentrate their efforts on luring Napoli forward Edison Cavani. Metro
Chelsea and Everton target Oscar Cardozo has been told he can leave Benfica. The 28-year-old striker could also attract interest from CSKA Moscow and Rubin Kazan. talkShit
Montpellier and Morocco playmaker Younes Belhanda, 22, has dampened speculation linking him with Arsenal and Liverpool by admitting he wants to stay with the French league leaders next season. Inside Futbol
Borussia Dortmund playmaker Shinji Kagawa admits the he has spoken with Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson. "He had some nice things to say to me," said the 23-year-old Japan international. the Times
Fulham are winning the race for Huddersfield and Scotland striker Jordan Rhodes, sealing a £3.5m deal for the 22-year-old ahead of Norwich, Aston Villa and West Ham. Daily Mirror
Former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas, Borussia Dortmund boss Juergen Klopp and Marseille's Didier Deschamps are among the candidates to replace Kenny Dalglish as Liverpool manager. the Guardian
Defender Rio Ferdinand holds his Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson partly responsible for his omission from England's Euros squad, after the Scot questioned whether the 33-year-old defender could stand up to the rigours of an international tournament. Daily Mirror
