City poised to nab £7m Espanyol ace
ROBERTO MANCINI is ready to start spending again by matching the £7million release clause for Espanyol's Victor Ruiz.
The centre-back, 21, has become one of the most sought-after defenders in La Liga after a string of eye-catching displays for Espanyol and Spain's Under-21 side.
His form attracted the interest of Napoli in the summer but their £4.5m bid fell way short of Espanyol's valuation.
But, according to reports in Spain, City scouts have been tracking Ruiz since the start of the season and are ready to launch a bid in January.
Espanyol are desperate to keep hold of their star man, but Mancini - who has already spent more than £100m in just 11 months as City boss - is used to getting his man.
And an offer of £7m will be enough to leave the Spaniards powerless to stand in Ruiz's way.
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer could be on his way to Arsenal in January after Fulham's successful efforts in finding a replacement in Espanyol and Cameroon star Carlos Kameni. imscouting.com
Inter Milan are weighing up a move for Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar. The 28-year-old South African is out of contract at the end of the season and the Toffees may be forced to cash in during the January transfer window. Daily Mirror
Brazilian 18-year-old Neymar claims Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Juventus are all trying to prise him away from Santos, but the striker says he would prefer a move to the Turin club.Daily Mail
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is convinced that his Spain team-mate Cesc Fabregas still wants to move to the Nou Camp, although it is believed the Catalan giants will not be able to afford the Arsenal midfielder. Daily Mail
Ipswich boss Roy Keane will attempt to land Scotland left-back Stephen Crainey from Blackpool. Daily Mirror
Liverpool are keeping a close eye on Anderlecht's 17-year-old striker Romelu Lukaku, who scored 19 goals in his first full season with the Belgian club. caughtoffside.com
West Ham manager Avram Grant wants to make a move for Kaiserslautern's Croatian 27-year-old striker Srdan Lakic, valued at about £2m by the German outfit. Daily Mirror
Arsenal are ready to spend £18m for the services of Aston Villa and England winger Ashley Young. The 25-year-old has one year remaining on his contract at Villa Park. caughtoffside.com
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has quashed speculation he might retire at the end of the season. "If my health deteriorated it would be different but retirement is for young people - they can do something else," the Scot told a sport conference in Doha. The Guardian
Meanwhile, the 68-year-old Ferguson has also revealed he would have loved to have been manager at Barcelona. "Ideology and philosophy, the whole place is fantastic," he says. The Sun
Clarence House insist princess-to-be Kate Middleton will not be joining her new fiance Prince William in lobbying for England's 2018 World Cup bid. The Guardian
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