MANCHESTER CITY are set to give new boss Manuel Pellegrini a £50million welcome present by landing their two top summer transfer targets, Edinson Cavani and Isco.
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| Edinson Cavani could swap clubs with Edin Dzeko |
The appointment of Pellegrini from Malaga will not be formalised until early next month, but he has given chief executive Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain the green light to press ahead with deals for Cavani and Isco.
Former boss Roberto Mancini was fiercely critical of City’s “slow” transfer strategy last summer when he missed out on his three top targets, Robin van Persie, Javi Martinez and Eden Hazard, and the club ended up rushing through the last-minute signings of Scott Sinclair and Maicon.
This time City have been working on deals for Napoli striker Cavani and attacking midfi elder Isco – one of Pellegrini’s players at Malaga – for several months and are now understood to be close to securing their targets.
In a bid to stave off competition from Chelsea, they had more talks with Napoli yesterday over a cash-plus-player swap deal for striker Cavani, with Edin Dzeko moving in the other direction.
Cavani, who had been a long-term target for Mancini, has a £50m release clause in his contract, but with Dzeko rated at around £20m, City are hopeful of landing the Uruguay international for around £30m.
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| Isco could follow Manuel Pellegrini to Manchester City |
I said go to City and take the chance to negotiate over Dzeko and see what they are willing to do for Cavani
Napoli’s film producer president Aurelio De Laurentiis
Napoli’s film producer president Aurelio De Laurentiis denied he had flown to England to appoint Rafa Benitez as the club’s new coach following the departure of Walter Mazzarri, but confirmed he has sent his sporting director Riccardo Bigon to have talks with City to conclude a deal for Cavani.
He said: “I did not go to London for Benitez. I was there with [managing director] Andrea Chiavelli and Bigon and for a simple reason – I have to prepare for the release of the film about Steve Jobs.
“However, I told Bigon, ‘Go to City and take the chance to negotiate over Dzeko and see what they are willing to do for Cavani’.”
Carlos Tevez’s own future is also uncertain. He has only a year left on his deal and City are likely to sell him if they land Cavani, Isco and another target, Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho from Shakthar Donetsk.
According to reports in Spain, City have offered Malaga the £17m that would trigger the release clause in Isco’s contract. City’s young Spaniard Denis Suarez could also be part of the deal.
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| Gael Clichy is the first City player to speak out after Roberto Mancini's sacking |
Gael Clichy became the first player to break ranks and speak after Mancini’s dismissal, insisting the former manager can have no complaints just a year after winning the Premier League title.
Clichy was speaking at a Manchester City visit to Staten Island in New York, where City have donated football equipment to a local community group helping the island recover from Hurricane Sandy.
“He’s the manager and you have to take responsibility. The manager is there to make the choices,” said Clichy.
“Of course, when results are good it’s all down to the manager. When the results are not so good, it’s also down to him.
“We have to be aware that he was probably at fault for this but, as players on the pitch, we also have to take responsibility and know that we did not perform, whether we played three, four or six at the back.”
City are certainly moving forward globally. They have announced a ground-breaking deal with baseball giants New York Yankees to create a 20th MLS club.
The deal, which could grow to around £500m, will see the newly-formed New York City FC join the league in 2015 in a new stadium in the football-mad area of Queens and rival the existing New Jersey-based Red Bulls.
City will be wearing a new Nike kit in their two exhibition games against Chelsea in the US this week.
Nike have renegotiated City’s £6m-a-year, 10-year deal with Umbro – now owned by Nike – which was signed in 2009. Nike will now pay City £12m a year for the next six years and the improved deal will help City’s bid to comply with UEFA’s financial fair play regulations.
