City boss Mancini to grab £25m Van Persie if Arsenal falter
Roberto Mancini has indicated that Manchester City will move for Robin van Persie this summer if Arsenal fail to persuade their Holland striker to sign a new deal.
Van Persie is out of contract at the Emirates in 12 months' time and City's Italian manager has made no secret of his desire to reunite last season's Premier League top scorer with his old Arsenal team-mates Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy.
It would still take an offer in the region of £25million to sign Van Persie, but Mancini believes that is more realistic than the £45m price tag Napoli have put on his other target, Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani.
He said: 'Who would I choose between Van Persie and Cavani? The Dutchman is a champion, while the Uruguayan has everything and I wanted to take him to Inter Milan when he played at Palermo. But it's impossible to sign Cavani at his current price - with Van Persie it's different.
'Van Persie is a top-class player. His situation is different than when we signed Clichy and Nasri. It was difficult for Arsene Wenger to keep them in London. We will sign a striker if one of our forwards leave.'
Edin Dzeko looks likely to be the striker to make way at City this summer, with Juventus ready to compete with any bid from Bayern Munich.
Mancini insists he has no intention of selling Mario Balotelli and also believes Carlos Tevez will stay after settling his differences with the club.
'Balotelli will stay for sure,' he said. 'I forgive Tevez and he will stay unless he asks to leave.'
Arsenal are taking a hardline approach to their contract negotiations with Van Persie.
The club's chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, met with Van Persie's agent, Kees Vos, for another round of discussions on Monday, but still no agreement has been reached.
Arsenal have offered Van Persie a new three-year deal worth £130,000 per week - plus a £5million signing-on bonus.
The Dutchman is stalling on the deal, and Sportsmail understands one of the reasons is the club's unwillingness to offer him a fourth year. Arsenal sources have indicated the existing deal on the table will not be improved.
Meanwhile, Jack Wilshere will endure gruelling double pre-season training sessions as Arsenal prepare him for his long-awaited return.
The midfielder missed the whole of last season with ankle and foot problems before undergoing surgery to clear up a tendinitis complaint in his left knee.
Once the 20-year-old's rehabilitation from his latest surgery is complete, he will embark on a series of double summer training sessions designed to get him up to speed in time for the new season.MAIL
Mancini points out Arsenal star's contract situation is just like those of Clichy and Nasri before he bought them, and adds Tevez can only go downhill
Roberto Mancini has claimed Sergio Aguero has the talent to emulate Lionel Messi and score in every game - and hinted at uniting him with Robin van Persie
Barcelona star Messi set a new European club record with 73 goals in 60 matches this season, including 50 in La Liga.
His fellow Argentine Aguero scored 30 in 48 games in his first season with Manchester City, including the last-minute winner to take the title.
And when asked who his best striker is, Mancini said: “Carlos Tevez has reached his maximum potential. Aguero, who is 23, on the other hand, has not having scored 24-25 goals in his first season in the Premier League.
“If you listen to me, Kun will become like Messi, someone who scores once or twice a game.”
The Italian also made clear that Van Persie remains a summer transfer target when he was asked who he preferred out of the Arsenal captain and Napoli’s Edinson Cavani.
“Van Persie is world class,” said Mancini. “Cavani has everything. When he was playing for Palermo, I wanted to take him to Inter.
“To sign Cavani at his present valuation is impossible. For Van Persie, it is a bit different.
“Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri were a year before the end of their contracts and for Arsene Wenger it was difficult to keep them.” MIRROR
Manchester City fan takes William Hill on over winnings
Bookmakers takes bet and then refuses to pay out after Man City beat local rivals and win Premier League
I have been a supporter of Manchester City for 58 years. On 30 April (in the run-up to the end of the Premier League season) I went into my local William Hill where I explained to the clerk behind the counter that I wanted to bet £400 on Manchester City to beat Manchester United on that day, at the then odds of 13/10, with all the winnings to then go on Manchester City to win the Premier League title at (what was then) 13/8.
The guy behind the counter told me what to write, took the betting slip and the money, wrote down the odds, and copied it into his computer.
Of course, it all came good. But when I went to claim my winnings, they refused to pay me anything. I have complained – as advised by the branch – to William Hill's complaints department, but they wouldn't hear my complaint and hung up on me. Can you help me please? PM, London
This is a bit of first for us – a complaint about a betting shop which is certainly outside our normal remit. Your bet, even to our untutored eyes, was unusual, in that the odds on the second part – the winning of the Premier League – would have immediately shortened once City had beaten its local rivals, as, of course, it so memorably did.
However, we couldn't see why the first part of the bet wasn't paid out. Your case was helped by the fact that you had specifically sought the help of the staff member on duty.
We asked William Hill to explain, and it confirmed all bookmakers have rules that outlaw bets of this nature where the odds on one part influence the second.
However, in view of the circumstances (the advice you received in the betting shop) and as a goodwill gesture, it has now waived its rules and settled at the original odds marked on the betting slip.
You will receive £2,414, as you'd originally hoped – a double celebration in your household given Manchester City's win.
Man City forced to sell several stars to reduce wage bill
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Manchester City can be forced to sell high earners like Emmanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez to reduce their 174 million pound wage bill to avoid violating UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules.
Deloitte's annual review of football finance shows that the Premier League champions spent more on wages than they earned during 2010-11, which is the last season before rules force clubs playing in Europe to break even.
As wages in the top flight went up by a record 201 million pounds to almost 160 billion pounds, City's wages were 14 per cent more than their revenue.
Roberto Mancini's money-loving side was one of 11 clubs including Chelsea (84 per cent) and Liverpool (73 per cent) who spent more than 70 per cent of revenue on wages.
Manchester United had the lowest at 46 per cent, while the average for the League rose to a record high of 70 per cent.
"If the wages to revenue ratio is 70 per cent or higher it's very difficult to make an operating profit," The Daily Mail quoted Alan Switzer, director in Deloitte's sports business group, as saying.
"It is too high as a League and the clubs need to be edging back to the low sixties. Chelsea and Manchester City are the clubs which have recorded the biggest losses so they are the two which have the most to do and to be fair to them they have been pretty public about needing to take action," he added.
OTHER BOLLOX
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