MANCHESTER CITY could face a battle to hold on to Roberto Mancini with Italy ready to come calling.
The Azzurri national boss Cesare Prandelli is under massive pressure and a poor Euro 2012 would almost certainly see him sacked.
And Mancini, 47, is top of the Italian FA’s list of candidates to replace him after landing the Premier League title.
The City chief has just one year left on his Etihad contract. Discussions over a new deal have taken place but he has still not signed.
Mancini is now on a family holiday in Sardinia where he will stay until pre-season training gets under way next month.
The Italian has said he would like to coach his country one day, though he was not expecting the chance to come this early.
City will be desperate for him to put pen to paper on a four-year deal which will hoist his wages from £3.5million a year to £5.5m.
That would make him the highest-paid Prem manager, alongside Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson.
The former Inter Milan manager’s stock could not be higher now after the work he has done in 2½ years at City.
In his first full season he won the club their first trophy in 35 years with the FA Cup. Then last term he delivered City’s first title in 44 years.
Pride and regret: Garry Cook reflects on his time at Manchester City
Former Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook has admitted he caused Blues fans "embarrassment" during his controversial time at the club.
But he also revealed his pride at laying the foundations for City's success.
Cook resigned in September 2011 following accusations he accidentally sent an e-mail to former player Nedum Onuoha's cancer-suffering mother mocking her illness.
Cook denied sending the e-mail, saying his account was hacked, but left after an internal investigation.
In an interview with BBC Radio Manchester, to be broadcast on Thursday at 6pm, Cook said: "There are no excuses. There are my interpretations and there are the interpretations of the press.
"The thing I always felt when those interpretations were manifested was the embarrassment I'd caused the fans."
Cook added: "In the end, I really felt that I didn't want to continue being the scapegoat of Manchester City and the point of attack.
"I am who I am but I was getting more and more concerned that it was becoming more about me than it was about the football club and the fans.
"That's not fair to them, it's their club and they deserve better than that."
Despite his headline grabbing comments, Cook was praised by fans for his work behind the scenes, and he was instrumental in attracting owner Sheikh Mansour to the 2011/12 Premier League champions.
"We built a prospectus to sell the club," he said. "They were interested in other football clubs and we had to sell the idea that Manchester City was a good investment.
Cook added: "I am proud of what I've done, but it's not me alone. What I feel I managed to do was build a team of people who believed and could see the vision.
"I'm not responsible for what happened at Manchester City. I only played my part and I was very fortunate to be given that opportunity."
Cook's other indiscretions included accusing AC Milan of "bottling" a deal to bring Kaka to City and inducting former striker Uwe Rosler into the "Manchester United Hall of Fame".
Cook said: "I was angry at AC Milan for the way they treated the football club with regards to Kaka.
"In retrospect, it was disrespectful to make public statements the way I did and I obviously regret that."
Liverpool Plot £16m Bid for Man City Winger Adam Johnson
Anfield boss keen on Etihad Stadium wide-man.
Newly installed Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is wasting no time in his pursuit of new additions to his Anfield squad and having offloaded Dirk Kuyt to Fenerbahce the former Swansea City manager will now look to move for Man City winger Adam Johnson.
Rodgers is believed to be preparing a significant bid, said to be in the region of £16m, for the 24 year old England international and the Northern Irishman will hope that the promise of regular first team football will act as enough motivation for the former Middlesbrough man to push for an Etihad Stadium exit.
Johnson has struggled to make an impact at Man City and has consistently failed to secure a regular first team berth ever since his £7m move to the club. Last term the Sunderland born winger managed just 10 Premier League starts and as a result lost his spot in the England Euro 2012 squad.
Whilst Man City may well have won the Premier League and have Champions League football to look forward to Johnson may well feel that his career is stagnating at the club. The arrival of Samir Nasri last summer further stifled his progress and talk of further additions could well spell a death knell to his time at the big spending club.
Liverpool could well do with a more natural right wing option as Jordan Henderson has struggled to fill the role since his move to the club and with Kuyt having left there is indeed further need to consider addressing the problem area.
Edin out: Tevez's City U-turn means Dzeko is the man to go
Controversial striker says he's now happy at Eastlands after a season that saw him go AWOL for three months ended in title-winning delight
Carlos Tevez is staying at Manchester City – forcing Edin Dzeko out of the exit.
Tevez, who had been expected to leave Eastlands after falling out with boss Roberto Mancini last season, insists he is going nowhere.
Tevez went AWOL in his native Argentina for three months following the bust-up. But he returned in February and played a role in the latter stages of City’s title triumph.
Speaking in Buenos Aires, Tevez said: “I contributed my part in winning the title. When I returned, Man United were five points ahead and everyone said they were [going to be] champions.
“I finished the season happy, I am calm and have no desire to go – and my family is fine.”
With Tevez determined to stay and Mancini keen on a new striker – Arsenal’s Robin van Persie is his No.1 target – it leaves Bosnia’s Dzeko as the likely fall-guy.
Dzeko admitted: “I’m enjoying the Premier League, but you never know what will happen.”
OTHER BOLLOX
Chelsea are considering a £20m move for Everton's 24-year-old Marouane Fellaini, who tops their list of candidates for a midfield enforcer. Daily Mirror
Tottenham's Croatian winger Niko Kranjcar, 27, is leaving in a cut-price £4m move to Dynamo Kiev. Daily Star
Queens Park Rangers have made an audacious bid to sign Montpellier and France striker Olivier Giroud, 25, who is rated at £50m by his club. Giroud is rated at £50m by French champions Montpellier Daily Mail
New Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert is set to return to Norwich to sign striker Grant Holt, 31, after the Scot revealed there is no agreement in place about him signing his former players. Independent
But Lambert will not have to sell £24m striker Darren Bent, 28, to fund his rebuilding job at Aston Villa. Daily Mail
Premier League new boys Southampton are set to complete the signing of Burnley striker Jay Rodriguez, 22, for a fee of £7m. talkShite
Chris Hughton plans to return to Birmingham City for defender Curtis Davies, 27, once he is confirmed as the new Norwich manager. Daily Mirror
Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Malaga's 22-year-old Venezuelan striker Salomon Rondon, who is reportedly valued at £20m by the Spanish side. FootyLatest
Chelsea have told Roberto Di Matteo, 42, they would like him to remain as manager. Daily Mail
Former Chelsea assistant Steve Clarke, 48, is the front runner for the West Brom job after leaving Liverpool. Daily Mirror
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis, 47, has ruled out any possibility of billionaire investor Alisher Usmanov joining the club's board. Daily Telegraph
Sunderland midfielder David Meyler has tipped Jordan Henderson, 21, to become a future England captain. talkShite
John Terry, who suffered a hamstring problem against Belgium last Saturday, could be injured for the whole of Euro 2012 - if England manager Roy Hodgson plays him against France on Monday. Daily Star
Chelsea captain Terry, 31, has been instructed to be on his best behaviour during the tournament as Hodgson seeks to ward off any further controversy involving the defender. The Times
Patrice Evra, 31, has expressed his surprise at the omission of Manchester United team-mate Ferdinand from England's Euro 2012 squad. Daily Telegraph
Former England defender Sol Campbell, 37, says he will tell the FA to take back his 73 caps if it is ever proven true that John Terry was chosen over Rio Ferdinand because of race. Guardian
Roy Hodgson has urged England's players to perform with a smile on their faces and treat Euro 2012 as an opportunity rather than an ordeal. Daily Express
Roy Keane says Sunderland's James McClean - the 'Derry Pele' - is the Republic of Ireland's secret weapon at Euro 2012. Daily Mirror
Fans in Krakow have been warned that the Polish riot police 'will come down on troublemakers like a bag full of anvils'. Daily Mail
England's bus driver in Poland is one of the country's most famous orchestra conductors. Zygmunt Kukla drives buses as a hobby when he is not responsible for arranging music for Polish TV. the Sun
LATEST BOLLOX
Chelsea have failed in their bid to build a new 60,000-seater stadium at Battersea Power Station. A joint bid by two Malaysian companies - SP Setia and Sime Darby - had been chosen instead by administrators for the 39-acre site in Wandsworth.
Manchester City plan shock Sturridge return with £10m bid
Roberto Mancini is keen to re-sign the club's former academy star and take advantage of the England international's current contract stalemate with Chelsea
Manchester City are preparing to take advantage of Daniel Sturridge's contract stalemate at Chelsea by making an imminent £10 million move for the forward.
Goal.com understands that Roberto Mancini wants to re-sign the City old boy and there is growing confidence at Etihad Stadium that a deal can be wrapped up quickly.
Sturridge has just a year remaining on his Chelsea contract and is considering his future after falling out of favour in the final months of the season and missing out on England's Euro 2012 squad.
City have emerged as the favourites for the signature of the 22-year-old, who retains close links to Manchester and was pictured on holiday this week with Micah Richards in the Caribbean.
Uncertainty over his future comes at a time when Chelsea are overhauling their attacking options. The Londoners are hopeful of adding Hulk to new signings Eden Hazard and Marko Marin, while Kevin De Bruyne will also move permanently to Stamford Bridge ahead of the new campaign. BLUE IS THE COLOUR?
Chelsea will demand around £12m for Sturridge, who was put on stand-by for the England squad following a season that yielded 13 goals for his club and in which he made both of his two international appearances for the senior team.
However, City negotiated a 15 per cent sell-on clause when they sold their former academy star to Stamford Bridge in 2009 and are hopeful a deal can be agreed for little over £10m.
Sources have told Goal.com that the 22-year-old’s £65,000 a week Chelsea wages are not considered to be a problem by City.
Mancini is a big admirer of Sturridge and has spoken in the past of his disappointment that the forward was sold to Chelsea shortly before he took over as manager.
Sturridge's frustration is twofold. He is unhappy at being played on the flanks at Chelsea rather than in his favourite centre-forward position and at his England exclusion after losing his regular club spot in the final months of the season. After his form deteriorated, he was an unused substitute in both the Champions League and FA Cup finals.
Speaking to the Jamaica Observer last Sunday, Sturridge said: "I feel hurt, but you know, maybe it is a blessing in disguise. It's going to spur me on to do better. It's going to drive me to want more success and to be a better footballer. I'm upset about it, but not too much.
"Winning the Champions league is the greatest achievement for any club, and I am just happy I was a part of a Chelsea team that created history in doing that. Having that medal is the highlight of my career."
Inter-ested: Inter Milan eye swoop for Manchester City's Nigel de Jong and Aleks Kolarov
Inter Milan are preparing to test Manchester City’s resolve to keep Dutch midfielder Nigel de Jong and left-back Aleks Kolarov.
And they may dangle Brazilian right-back Maicon as bait in any offer for the two Blues.
City enforcer De Jong has still not agreed a new deal despite opening talks with the club almost a year ago and has just over 12 months left on his contract.
And Inter have become the latest side to show an interest in signing the player, although no moves are expected while Holland are still in Euro 2012.
Juventus were the first club to eye up De Jong, and more recently Premier League rivals Arsenal and QPR have both been linked with bids for the player.
De Jong wanted to be moved into the higher bracket of earners at the Etihad Stadium after being an influential figure in the 2010-11 season.
But he was not a regular starter last season, although he proved his worth with some influential performances from the bench, not least launching the attack which led to Sergio Aguero’s title-winning goal on the fateful final day of the season.
And he told M.E.N. Sport he was happy and wanted to stay with the club, especially as they are now winning trophies. In fact, he said it was a “silly question” to ask if he wanted to stay.
City have remained tight-lipped on the matter, but they feel De Jong will not find a better pay deal anywhere else.
City’s problem is that if they don’t work something out, they could lose De Jong next summer on a free transfer – not good business for a 27-year-old, who cost £14.4m, a price which recently rose to £14.5m as there was an add-on if he helped them to win the Premier League.
Inter are also eyeing up Kolarov, who was forced onto the sidelines at the sharp end of the season, losing out to Gael Clichy in the battle for the left-back spot after the two had been effectively
