Man City set to seal Milner and Balotelli signings
Published:Aston Villa midfielder James Milner and Inter Milan forward Mario Balotelli are set to complete their moves to Manchester City on Thursday, according to Roberto Mancini.
“We are close with both players but now they are going with their national teams,” City manager Mancini said.
Milner has been named in the England squad for Wednesday’s friendly with Hungary, while Balotelli will link up with the Italian national side.
Mancini, however, hopes that the deals can be concluded as soon as the players return from international duty. “We hope that we can have these players by next Thursday,” he added.
City, who are 5/1 to win the Premier League this season, have been typically lavish in the transfer market this summer, and these two players could be the final pieces in Mancini’s jigsaw.
Milner has been a particularly long-standing target for City, and Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill has stated that he would now like the transfer to be completed as soon as possible.
A player on his way out at Eastlands, however, is Robinho, who is set to meet Mancini to discuss his future.
The Brazilian forward has expressed his desire to rejoin hometown club Santos on loan, but the Brazilian side cannot afford his wages.
6/1 Europa League contenders, City are reportedly negotiating an alternative deal which would give them first refusal on signing Santos players, such as their latest prospect Neymar.
Who will be Man City’s main competition for the title? Their rivals Man United are 9/4 to be crowned champions again. See the full Barclays Premier League Betting Odds market.
