ContinueManchester City Fall Behind In Race to Sign Arsenal Forward
Roberto Mancini fears Manchester City’s chances of signing Arsenal forward Robin Van Persie are becoming increasingly unlikely as efforts from Manchester United and Juventus to sign the player gather pace.
The Daily Mail report that the Italian boss is unhappy with the club’s hierarchy over their dithering over the prospective move for the Dutchman, with the club looking to offload its unwanted talent in preparation of the soon-to-be-implemented Financial Fair Play rules before further signings.
Mancini is now convinced that Manchester United and Serie A champions Juventus have now snatched the initiative in the pursuit for the sought-after 28-year-old.
While the Premier League champions certainly have the financial power to trump any bid submitted for the forward by United or the Juventus, the club’s lack of enthusiasm in their pursuit taken in the past week has left Mancini concerned that he will miss out on his number 1 target.
City’s gargantuan wage bill is thought to be the biggest stumbling block in the move. Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz are just three all on exorbitant wages who the club are seeking to get rid of, as the reality of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play is now being considered.
Sir Alex Ferguson last week revealed that an offer of approximately £15 million for Van Persie had been turned down by the Arsenal hierarchy, who have valued the sale of their captain in the region of at least £25 million, reports suggest.
The Daily Telegraph also suggests that Juventus are close to submitting a £20 million offer for the Dutch forward, and are ready to make him the best paid player in the history of the club. The Serie A champions are ready to offer the player a staggering £190,000 a week on a five year deal.
