Roberto Mancini will consider swap deals for Carlos Tevez or Mario Balotelli to land Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The AC Milan striker is the latest star to be targeted by the Premier League champions – along with Eden Hazard and Robin van Persie.
Mancini has told City’s Abu Dhabi owners he needs to spend big again this summer as he attempts a clean sweep of honours next season.
Ibrahimovic is valued at £25m by Milan.
Tevez is the natural choice to head in the opposite direction in a straight swap after his massive fall out with Mancini earlier in the season.
But £20m-rated Balotelli could be Milan’s preferred option and would have lower salary demands than Tevez.
The Italian giants have a long-standing interest in both players, who each tested Mancini’s patience to the limit last season.
And even after pipping United to the title last weekend, he will not have forgotten the torment the controversial strikers put him through.
A touchline bust-up with Tevez in September led to the Argentine going into exile for part of the campaign, while Balotelli’s red card against Arsenal last month looked to be the final straw for a manager who had been willing to indulge the Italian’s wayward antics.
Mancini has since stated Balotelli will remain at the Etihad, but his resolve could be tested if Milan demand he be included in any deal to land Ibrahimovic.
The City manager worked with the 30-year-old Swede when in charge of Inter Milan and still considers him one of the top strikers in Europe.
And Mancini, who is also hoping to land Lille playmaker Hazard and Arsenal forward Van Persie in a double deal worth around £60m, believes he needs even more world-class talent to turn City into Champions League winners.
He said: “A team like us now need to try to win every game and every trophy. You cannot say you choose Champions League or the Premier League. It is impossible.
“Probably we will buy some good players because we need to improve.”
But it is clear the Champions League is Mancini’s new priority after ending City’s 44-year wait for a title.
“The Champions League is a strange tournament,” he said. “Because you have to be lucky to win the Champions League, you have to have good form in a crucial moment.” MuEN
City cash splash irks Platini
UEFA president Michel Platini has warned clubs about new rules on transfers, saying he's concerned about big spenders Manchester City.
Platini said he's worried the Premier League winners will be left facing huge debt if their billionaire owners leave the club in the near future.
The Financial Fair Play rules were recently introduced to make sure European football is played on more of an even playing field and by 2013/14 clubs will be required to break even on their balance sheets.
For the first couple of years a £36million deficit will be considered acceptable but thereafter clubs will be held accountable for spending more than they earn.
Manchester City have invested heavily in their squad since Sheikh Mansour's Abu Dhabi United Group took over, but Platini has warned the club that money does not guarantee success.
"We have to protect the clubs, because until they pay Manchester City will be happy but if they (the owners) leave Manchester City what is going to happen with this club?" Platini told Fox Soccer America.
Gill believes Manchester United's 'history and heritage' is more important for players than big wages
After Manchester City picked up the Premier League title having spent many millions, the Red Devils chief insists rich history proves more attractive for potential signings
Manchester United chief executive David Gill has hit out at big-spending clubs like Manchester City, saying the Red Devils' "history and heritage" is what sets them apart from other clubs.
City won their first Premier League title in 44 years last weekend in dramatic fashion, after Sheikh Mansour pumped hundreds of millions into the side since buying the club in 2008.
But Gill believes that the chance of wearing the famous red shirt and playing for legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson is more tempting to players than a huge wage packet.
"Whilst other clubs may pay slightly more, we pay very good salaries and I think a player coming to Manchester United has the benefit of playing in front of 76,000 every week," he told the Mirror.
"We have our history and heritage, and the commercial spin-offs; if they want to choose to go down that route as well, then they are probably better at Manchester United than other clubs arguably anyway.
"We shouldn’t be shy or embarrassed or worried about not being able to attract top players because I firmly believe we can. With Alex and what we offer as a club many people want to come and play for us."
Gill has revealed that while United will not try and match the likes of City for transfer fees and wages, Sir Alex will have funds available to improve the squad in the summer and continue to challenge at the very top.
"With Alex as the manager and the scouting system and the resources we'll make sure we improve the squad as necessary and continue to be up there," he added.
"Our turnover and our cash profits demonstrate we can invest in players as necessary. We did it last year when we bought three players, [Phil] Jones, [Ashley] Young and [David] de Gea.
"Those are the sort of players we like to buy, players who still are developing and still got many years ahead of them in the game and we’ll continue to do that. We still pay very good salaries."
Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira claims the Gunners have left it too late to keep Manchester City and Juventus target Robin van Persie, who has 12 months left on his contract. Daily Mirror
Talks between Van Persie and Arsenal on Wednesday ended in deadlock despite the Gunners offering their captain a three-year deal worth £130,000 a week with a £5m signing-on fee. Daily Mail
RVP's agent angered by Manchester City meetings leak as Vieria opens gob
Well it's not been a good 48 hours in Arsenal land. Yet again we've mucked up regarding our transfer policy and it appears it's going to bite us on the arse again this summer.
With the saga regarding Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri still fresh in the memory from last summer, it appears we're in the same situation with Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott. You would have thought we would have learnt our lessons but it appears we've still got a lot to learn when it comes to extending the contracts of our star players.
In fairness to Arsenal, both van Persie and Walcott have indicated that they wouldn't be prepared to discuss new deals with the club until the end of the season - making their position much stronger. With just over one year still to run on their deals respectively, the players hold all the cards.
But this should have been averted. It could have been sorted much sooner. And now we are left in a position where Robin has told the club he's not yet ready to sign a new deal - he's waiting to see what offers will come in for him - and gone off to the Euros.
It would be devastating for every Arsenal fan if the club sold Robin - it would again send out the wrong message to every Gooner. We've finally secured third position allowing us to complete our business in a timely manner and have already got Lukas Podolski thorough the door. But it's looking more and more likely that the German international has been signed as a replacement for Robin rather than to play alongside him.
The newspapers have been briefed by Robin's camp that he walked out of Wednesday's meeting without agreeing to sign the club's offer of £130,000 a week and a £5m re-signing payment. This is a tactic to attract the attention of club's who might be interested in signing the Dutch international.
Unsurprisingly Manchester City are one of those clubs who have met with van Persie's agent Kees Vos - who was entertained by Brian Marwood at Etihad Stadium three months ago. The story on Goal.com angered Vos as it was published two days before his meeting with Arsenal.
Vos has been keen to point out that while he was entertained by Man City, it had nothing to do with the fact that Robin was about to enter the last 12 months of his contract and could be interested in a move to the north west.
To be fair to Vos, he's the leading agent of a firm who has clients all around the globe - Thomas Vermaelen is also one of his clients - and he has also been the guest of other top four clubs, not just in England but around Europe.
But again it doesn't paint the situation to be in such a good like, especially after what happened last summer with the Samir Nasri deal when City had to pay Arsenal an extra £5m to stop Arsenal reporting them to the Premier League for unsettling the Frenchman.
City clearly have an interest in Robin. Patrick Vieria last night admitted it. He said:
"I don't think it will only be City who would like these kind of players.
"I don't think you have so many good talents like Van Persie who have just one year left on his contract.
"There will be a lot of teams who will want a player like Van Persie."
I do wish Paddy would shut up and stop talking about our players. Last summer he was instrumental in signing Nasri. Now he's talking up van Persie. more: http://www.ashburtongrove.co.uk/2012/05 ... -city.html
Calm down City... United are still kings of football!
Ronaldo says his former team will be at the top for years to come
Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted Manchester United will remain kings of English football for years to come, regardless of any success enjoyed by neighbours Manchester City.
United lost out on the Premier League title on a dramatic final day of the season last weekend, with City finishing top of the pile for the first time since 1968.
But Real Madrid star Ronaldo, who played for United from 2003 to 2009, said it will take a lot more than that from City to ensure a swing in power.
'I saw a few days ago (City scored) two goals in the last minute, 91 and 93. I had a bet that Manchester United would win the league but I lost,' he said.
'I feel very disappointed because United is still in my heart.
'City have a fantastic team now, but I think Manchester (United) will carry on being king of England in my opinion.'
Happy days: Ronaldo and team-mates celebrate United's 2009 title win
Ronaldo helped United to a hat-trick of titles, the last of which in 2009 came just before he left the club for Madrid.
Turning to his own future, Ronaldo declared himself happy at the Bernabeu but refused to make any long-term predictions.
'The future? Nobody knows. (But) I feel very happy here. It’s a great club, fantastic fans...it’s great.
'In one year or two you never know. A man’s head is always complicated.'
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[/spoiler]OTHER BOLLOX
Reading want to start life in the Premier League with Joe Cole. The newly promoted Royals have earmarked the Liverpool midfielder, who currently has two years left on his £70,000-a-week contract, as a loan signing.Daily Star
Tottenham have made a move for Ivory Coast striker Arouna Kone, a free agent after a successful season-long loan from Sevilla to fellow Spanish side Levante, where he scored 15 goals. Daily Mirror
Paris Saint-Germain are monitoring Napoli's 27-year-old Argentine forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, who is also thought to have been targeted by Manchester City. talkSHIT
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has admitted he would welcome the opportunity of playing in Spain.Metro
Leicester have agreed a deal worth £1m for Fleetwood Town's prolific striker Jamie Vardy. Vardy finished the season with 34 goals for Fleetwood TownDaily Mail
Morocco international Younes Belhanda says he wants to stay with Montpellier for another season, despite being linked with Manchester City and Arsenal. talkSHIT
Wolves striker Steven Fletcher is expected to reject the chance of a move to Sunderland. Daily Mail
Sunderland keeper Craig Gordon says he could still remain with the club despite his contract having expired at the end of the season. Goal.com
Liverpool plan to approach former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola as they continue their search to replace Kenny Dalglish. Wigan's Roberto Martinez and Swansea's Brendan Rodgers are set to be interviewed but Liverpool's owners feel it would be a mistake not to sound Guardiola out. the Sun
Manchester United's latest accounts have revealed they lost £71m to financial obligations imposed by owners the Glazers over the last nine months.Daily Mail
Fabio Capello is prepared to take over from Roberto di Matteo at Chelsea on a one-year deal to allow them to pursue long-term target Pep Guardiola after his sabbatical.
But former England manager Capello is also weighing up a lucrative offer to become the head coach of the United Arab Emirates.Daily Telegraph
Bayern Munich's former Chelsea player Arjen Robben has warmed up for Saturday's Champions League final by claiming the Londoners were a better side to watch when he was playing at Stamford Bridge. Daily Mirror
Blackburn manager Steve Kean appears to have survived his latest crisis meeting with the club's owners having convinced them he remains the man to lead relegated Rovers back to the Premier League. the Independent
West Ham will stick with Sam Allardyce if they fail to win Saturday's Championship play-off final against Blackpool, according to co-owner David Sullivan. the Sun
Hearts manager Paulo Sergio has played down Saturday's all-Edinburgh Scottish Cup final with Hibernian by claiming the tie is no more important than the fourth round victory over Auchinleck Talbot. Daily Record
Jamie Carragher knew his manager's time was up at Liverpool when Kenny Dalglish told him: "You don't have to call me 'gaffer' any more." Daily Mirror
After Paul the Octopus at the 2010 World Cup, a football mad llama has been tipped to become the next match-predicting global phenomenon after correctly guessing the result of the FA Cup final. But will his Champions League prediction also come true? Metro
more later ...
