According to The Telegraph, City are preparing to take their summer spending spree to £100m with an improved £25m offer for Aston Villa midfielder James Milner.
The England man was the subject of a £20m bid from the blues prior to the World Cup but the bid was instantly rejected by the Midlands club. Recently, Villa boss Martin O’Neill admitted it would be hard for the club to hold onto Milner and has apparently entered the transfer market to search for a replacement.
With the signing of Jerome Boateng, David Silva and Yaya Toure already in the bag and having a bid of around £17m for Lazio full back Aleksander Kolarov accepted, City manager Roberto Mancini has given a clear indication that he doesn’t intend to settle for a place outside the top four and remain trophy-less for much longer.
The figure of £100m could rise further should City convince Wolfsburg to part with star striker Edin Dzeko, who has already indicated that he wants to leave the club this summer. Even if they are successful in signing both Milner and Dzeko, there may be more to come in the form of Inter Milan youngster Mario Balotelli. The 19 year old played under Mancini during his time at Inter and the City boss has made no secret of his desire to bring the talented striker to Eastlands, although they are yet to make a formal bid.
The blues are currently in the USA for their pre-season tour of the States and the bid for Milner could come early next week when the blues move from Portland to New York.
Are City right to go for Milner? Where would he fit in? Do you think Gareth Barry could be on his way? Let us know your thoughts.
11 Comments