REAL MADRID AND BARCELONA TARGET CITY STAR SERGIO AGUERO
ABOVE: Sergio Aguero is Manchester City's record signing but is thought to be unhappy in Manchester
REAL MADRID last night upped the stakes in their £45m bid to land Sergio Aguero from Manchester City.
Starsport revealed last week how City face a losing battle to keep hold of star striker Aguero in the face of strong interest from the Spanish giants.
Aguero is becoming disillusioned with life in Manchester after the break-up of his marriage.
Barcelona have also entered the race to sign the Argentina striker.
That has spooked Real – who have decided to offer City their choice of either Karim Benzema or Gonzalo Higuain as a sweetener.
Real president Florentino Perez knows he could lose Cristiano Ronaldo this summer and wants a major transfer to help him re-elected get year.
Perez is also trying to sign Gareth Bale from Spurs and has now taken charge of all the club’s transfer negotiations.
Real missed out on Aguero when he joined City for £38m because Atletico Madrid refused to sell to their rivals.
But they have maintained their interest and a return to Madrid with Real could appeal to Aguero, who would be closer to his son Ben.
Barcelona’s top priority is to keep hold of a rejuvenated David Villa, who has been offered a new deal.
Aguero is a fall-back option.
'We'll be back' defiant captain Kompany tells champions-elect United
The City skipper will turn out for the other Red Devils – the Belgian national team – against Macedonia in a World Cup qualifier, his first taste of football in over two months
Vincent Kompany returns to action tonight with a warning for rivals United.
The City skipper will turn out for the other Red Devils – the Belgian national team – against Macedonia in a World Cup qualifier, his first taste of football in over two months.
And he has vowed that the Blues will learn from the mistakes which have allowed leaders United to open up an insurmountable 15-point gap at the top of the Premier League.
“You always want to go for the titles and you always want to go for the top,” said
Kompany, who has been out with calf problems.
“I’ve experienced it in the same way as every other player. I’ve wanted our team to do well.
“In football, ultimately, you always have to have a winner and a loser so I think that we’ll learn from what happened and we’ll grow stronger again. We still have a good run in the FA Cup.”
Kompany said he is not worrying about City being overhauled for second place by Chelsea or Tottenham, adding: “I’m not looking too much. I know it’s cliched, but I think we should focus on our own qualities and just look at every game and say ‘OK, we’ve got a chance to win this one, so let’s do it’. That should be our only aim.”
Now Kompany is in line for his City return against Newcastle on Saturday, saying: “I feel great, I feel really good. I’ve put in some hard work over the last eight weeks and I’m just very happy to be back with the team. It’s been frustrating but it’s something you have to deal with as a professional football player.
“I have been through worse. My only ambition was to make myself available again to the manager of the national team and the manager of City.
“I’ve worked really hard. I just want to perform really quickly and really well
Here comes the cavalry! Manchester City getting Kompany, Aguero and Yaya Toure back against Newcastle
Key trio in line to play on Saturday as Blues try to hold off Chelsea and Spurs for automatic Champions League group-phase spot
Roberto Mancini is set to have the spine of his Manchester City side restored as they bid to hold on to a second-place finish in the Premier League.
Skipper and centre-back Vincent Kompany, midfielder Yaya Toure and striker Sergio Aguero are all set to return for the champions in Saturday's game against Newcastle.
The trio have not started a game together since the champions' 3-0 win over Stoke on New Year’s Day, and their en-masse return will be a welcome boost for Mancini.
Kompany has been sidelined for two months with calf problems, a knee injury has kept Aguero out of action since February 24 and Toure missed the 2-0 defeat at Everton with a migraine.
The sight of the cavalry coming over the hill couldn't be better timed for City, as the game is a must win now Chelsea have closed to within four points after the champions defeat at Goodison Park just before the international break.
And with Tottenham just a point further back, City now face a very real threat to their hopes of securing an automatic Champions League place.
The top three teams in the Premier League qualify automatically for the Champions League, with the fourth-placed side having to pre-qualify in August.
With City travelling to champions-elect Manchester United on April 8 and to White Hart Lane to face Spurs on April 21, Mancini’s men must ensure they do not concede further ground.
Saints Want City Outcast Sinclair
Mauricio Pochettino has made Scott Sinclair a top summer transfer target after failing to make an impact at Manchester City.
The 23 year old has started just two matches since making a move to the Premier League champions at the start if the season from Swansea and Southampton are ready to end his nightmare spell at the club suggests the Sun.
Mancini paid Swans £6.2million for Sinclair and would be expecting to get just as much back if City decide to cash in at the end of the campaign.
Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino looked to bring in a winger in the January transfer window but lost out on Philippe Coutinho, who joined Liverpool from Inter for £6.5m.
Pochettino was Coutinho’s manager at Espanyol but his scouting team have been impressed by the ability City flop Sinclair has shown in his rare outings.
Southampton will have to think again about their bid to land Sinclair — who is also a target for Everton and Aston Villa — if they fail to beat the drop.
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West Ham are facing competition from Fulham for £15m-rated Wilfried Bony. The Ivory Coast and Vitesse Arnhem forward, 24, is the top scorer in Holland with 26 goals. London Evening Standard
Chelsea captain John Terry could be on his way to Istanbul after he emerged as a summer target for Fenerbahce. Terry, 32, has a year left on his contract and will wait until the summer before making any decision on his future. DSSC
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City are chasing Birmingham's 17-year-old striker Koby Arthur, who could be fast-tracked into Lee Clark's senior squad for Friday's game with Crystal Palace. Daily Mirror
Bayern Munich are favourites ahead of Juventus and Barcelona in a race to sign £40m Liverpool's 26-year-old Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez. DSSC
Manchester United have stepped up their interest in Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, 25, by sending a scout to watch him play in Bosnia's 3-1 win over Greece last Friday. DSSC
Montenegro's Juventus forward Mirko Vucinic, 29, has urged his compatriot, Stevan Jovetic, 23, to resist a move to the Premier League and instead join him at the Serie A leaders. Jovetic, who is enjoying a good season at Fiorentina, has been linked with Manchester City and Arsenal. Tuttosport
Former Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo, 42, is among the leading candidates to replace Schalke 04's interim coach Jens Keller after favourite Armin Veh signed a new contract with Frankfurt. Suddeutsche.de
Some members of the Spanish national team have voiced concern at the state of the Stade de France pitch ahead of Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against France. Marca
West Ham United hope to sit down with manager Sam Allardyce, 58, within seven days to discuss a new contract - ending doubts over his future. Daily Telegraph
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich wants Jose Mourinho, 50, back in charge at Stamford Bridge - five-and-a-half-years after the Portuguese left the club. Daily Star
Reading are closing in on appointing former Southampton boss Nigel Adkins, 48, as their new manager. DSSC
Queens Park Rangers owner Tony Fernandes says the Premier League strugglers will be able to cope financially if they are relegated. "Our wage bill is a lot lower than being quoted," he said. Independent
Tottenham midfielder Lewis Holtby, 22, believes the international break has allowed Spurs to re-group for a late charge for a Champions League spot. DSSC
Montenegro striker Mirko Vucinic says England's central defensive pairing of Joleon Lescott, 30, and Chris Smalling, 23, should not even be in the team when the sides meet in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. Daily Express
Meanwhile, England captain Steven Gerrard, 32, believes that forward Wayne Rooney, 27, will be inspired by returning to the scene of his sending-off two years ago. Times
Alex Ferguson is set to play two entirely different sides in the space of 48 hours to preserve Manchester United's double push. United are away to Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday, before travelling to Chelsea for an FA Cup quarter-final replay two days later. Daily Mirror
Mark Halsey, the official who did not send off Callum McManaman for his high tackle on Massadio Haidara, has not been given a Premier League game to referee this weekend. DSSC
Former Manchester United players Edwin van der Sar, Teddy Sheringham and Jaap Stam will get a chance to avenge their old club's Champions League defeat to Real Madrid when the two clubs send out a team of legends to play in a charity match at Old Trafford on 2 June. DSSC
Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni wants James McCarthy, 22, to have more belief in himself and says he will "punch" the Wigan Athletic midfielder if he does not stop being so shy. DSSC
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