Manchester City closing in on Dzeko capture from Wolfsburg
Published:Manchester City are on the verge of further bolstering their Premier League title chances as reports suggest they are close to completing the signing of prolific Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko.
A 4-0 thrashing of Aston Villa did not only see Manchester City move joint top of the table, but it also caused their Premier League betting odds to come in from 10/1 to 8/1.
Although Carlos Tevez has been in blistering form all season and Mario Balotelli showed his capabilities with a hat-trick against Villa, another striker is on top of Roberto Mancini’s January shopping list.
Space in the squad is set to emerge with Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz likely to leave Eastlands in the new year and this is expected to be filled by Dzeko.
Reports state that a deal has already been struck with Wolfsburg, which will see an initial £25.6m paid for the Bosnian, with an extra £4.3m changing hands if Manchester City qualify for the Champions League this season.
However, Mancini will be targeting far more than fourth spot if he completes the capture of Dzeko, who already has ten Bundesliga goals to his name during the current campaign.
According to Goal.com, a Manchester City insider said: “The bosses have pursued Dzeko with dogged determination and he has the proven quality Mancini believes will make the difference in a title challenge.”
Although it is unlikely that Dzeko will have arrived in time, Manchester City will still expect to take the three points from their next Premier League encounter at home to Blackpool.
Manchester City beat Blackpool 3-2 away from home earlier in the season and are 2/7 to secure victory again.
However, Blackpool are unbeaten in five Premier League games and are 7/1 to pull off a shock and defeat Mancini’s men.
A £10 stake on Manchester City beating Blackpool 3-1 would return £90. New customers can sign up here for a free £10 bet.
