• Mancini confirms City interest in Liverpool
striker
• Di María also on Eastlands shopping list
Fernando Torres is believed to have some
reservations regarding his future at Liverpool and could be open to
a move to Manchester CIty. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty
Images
Roberto
Mancini has laid down a marker for what
promises to be another summer of huge spending at
Manchester
City by confirming that he would like to
sign Fernando
Torres and speaking openly about the club's
chances of persuading the Liverpool striker
to leave Anfield.
Mancini said signing a player of Torres's quality could be the
catalyst to inspire City to mount a sustained challenge for next
season's Premier League title, and he described
the Spaniard as belonging to an elite group of footballers
including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Torres is known to be questioning his future at Anfield because
of the way the club have regressed this season and Mancini spoke of
the importance of City, currently fifth in the Premier League,
breaking into the top four to help convince one of their principal
transfer targets that moving to Eastlands would not be a downward
step. "We are a top team and I think all the top teams are
interested in Torres but sometimes it depends on the player because
they want to play in the Champions League," he said. "If we don't
get into the fourth position I think it will be difficult."
Explaining his reasons for identifying Torres, Mancini said:
"For me, he is with Carlos [Tevez], [Wayne] Rooney, [Lionel] Messi,
[Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, [Cristiano] Ronaldo as the best in Europe.
Fernando is a fantastic striker; all the teams in Europe would like
him."
Nonetheless, City are one of the few who could afford to make
Liverpool an offer in excess of £50m, as well as making Torres the
highest paid player in English football, with a weekly salary of
about £200,000. Asked if City had an advantage over Torres's other
suitors, Mancini replied. "Probably."
For a manager to be so open about his interest in a player is
unusual but the Italian was speaking in the knowledge that Torres
is open-minded to the idea.
When City looked into his potential availability last summer the
message from Torres's representatives was that the Spain
international was not interested. That, however, changed to a
"maybe" when the same calls were made in January and senior
officials from Eastlands have been back in touch over the past
fortnight.
Asked about City's intentions tonight, the Liverpool manager,
Rafael Benítez, seemed unperturbed. "We've said repeatedly that
Fernando is not for sale and he still has three years of his
contract remaining. So how can they sign a player who does not wish
to leave?" he said.
Liverpool are seventh, with only an outside chance of the
Champions League, and City are hoping to capitalise on what could
be a disruptive summer at Anfield, with the club up for sale and
Benítez being linked with the Juventus job.
Mancini was asked whether City stood a better chance of signing
Torres if Benítez were to leave Anfield. "I saw in the newspapers
in Italy that Benítez was going to Juventus but I don't know if
it's true or false," he said. I think if Benítez goes to Juventus,
Benítez will get one, two or three players of his own [from
Liverpool]. I have read that Liverpool have to sell one or two
players but I don't know what their situation is exactly." Asked if
he felt confident that Liverpool would sell, he said: "I don't know
this."
Mancini went on to confirm City's long-standing interest in
Benfica's Argentina winger Ángel di María, as revealed in the
Guardian last November. "It's the same situation with Torres. Di
Maria is a good player and, in the future, we'll see."
Representatives of Ronaldinho, the former world footballer of
the year, are also understood to be planning to sound out City to
see if there is any interest in arranging a deal with Milan. That
idea has not yet taken off but, in the face of further questions
about Torres, Mancini addressed the club's desire to bring in a
recognised superstar, having failed in the past with a world-record
£92m offer for Kaká, then of Milan. "I think we must buy a top
player," he said. "We must make sure we don't spend too much on
normal [average] players but if there is the possibility to spend
the money on top players, young players who can help us build a
future, I think it is OK.
"If we want to win the Premier League ahead of Chelsea and
Manchester United we must sign some important players. All the top
players want to play in the Champions League. But next season I
want to win the Premier League; this is my desire even ahead of the
Champions League, and I want players to understand that Manchester
City are an important project for the future and that they
can come here – [and] not only if we get fourth position."
