Man City set to hold fringe player auction?
In addition to finding revolutionary new ways to stick the boot into poor Fabio Capello - children's book parody is the latest method - The Sun have been busy reporting news of a major clearout at Manchester City in January.
Roberto Mancini is apparently keen to bring in Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko among others but recognises the need to raise funds first by selling a few of the players he can do without, and it is thought that Shay Given, Wayne Bridge, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Jo, Roque Santa Cruz and Emmanuel Adebayor - all Mark Hughes signings - fit that particular bill.
The most intriguing element of the story is the estimated losses the top-four chasing Citizens stand to make, with it speculated that £18-million buy Santa Cruz is likely to go for around £4 million while Adebayor, captured for around £25 million, could be fitted with a £12 million price tag.
The only player of the lot that the club are said to believe they can recoup back what they spent on is Shay Given, whose spell on the bench isn't expected to diminish his £7 million valuation. No potential suitors are mentioned, though former boss Hughes may try to bring a few to Fulham.
Elsewhere, while The Sun were the newspaper who first led with the claim that Manchester City's stars had no faith in Mancini, they are now suggesting that "the City hierarchy are determined to back Mancini in his plans".
Are any of the players mentioned worth keeping hold of? Tell us below...
Published: 19 Nov 2010
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