Antonio Valencia Reportedly the Target of Roberto Mancini at Galatasaray

Roberto Mancini is set to launch a January bid to prise Antonio Valencia away from Manchester United, according to reports in Turkey.

The former Manchester City boss, who led the Sky Blues to Premier League glory in 2011-12, looks set to strengthen his newly acquired squad at the nearest opportunity.

As reported by Turkish paper Fanatik and commented on by Ben Jefferson of the Express, Valencia has been outlined as a primary target by the former Etihad boss:

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Reports in Turkey suggest that Mancini is contemplating a number of moves in the winter transfer window to strengthen the squad he inherited from Fatih Terim.

And according to Turkish sports newspaper Fanatik, Mancini is hopeful the Ecuador international can be persuaded to leave Old Trafford after falling down the pecking order under David Moyes.

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The emergence of Adnan Januzaj has been cited as one of the reasons for Mancini’s interest, as Valencia faces a battle to maintain his place in the Red Devils’ starting lineup across the coming weeks.

United’s powerful Ecuadorian has suffered a dip in form after winning both the fans’ and players’ player of the year awards, as well as wrapping up the internal goal of the season prize for his strike against Blackburn in 2012.

Valencia has scored one goal and provided two assists in nine appearances this campaign, per Who Scored. He excellently rounded off a counterattacking move to seal Manchester United’s 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, but since then has seen his place under threat from Januzaj.

Moyes’ decision to deploy the 18-year-old wonderkid alongside Nani eventually saw United to victory in the recent match against Sunderland. The Belgian provided two excellent goals at the Stadium of Light and continually swapped wings with his Portuguese counterpart, something Valencia isn't able to do.

The former Wigan winger relies too prominently on his right foot, a natural occurrence that has seen many Premier League defenders consciously push the 28-year-old onto his weaker side.

Valencia has provided an average of 0.5 accurate crosses per game this season, as recorded by Who Scored. He now looks set to have an uncertain future after Nani penned a five-year contract extension, confirmed on the club’s official website.

Mark Ogden of The Telegraph confirms United are also aiming to tie up Januzaj’s future with a bumper contract. Moyes should wrap up the starlet’s future as a matter of urgency and is likely to give him significant game time in order to keep the prying eyes of Europe’s elite away.

Wilfried Zaha’s arrival from Crystal Palace is yet to threaten Valencia’s place, but certainly has the potential to do so in the near future.

Manchester United could be set to utilise Valencia as a pawn in a potential deal to sign Everton's Leighton Baines, per Rob Draper of the Daily Mail, as Moyes plots a January attempt to once again try to lure the left-back to Old Trafford.

Mancini’s reported interest in Valencia isn't surprising. The Italian favoured workhorse James Milner when in charge of City, a player who shares many of the same attributes as Valencia. Although the United player is far from prolific, he often fulfils both attacking and defensive duties to a useful standard.

As both Galatasaray and United begin a period of major transition, Valencia's potential transfer to the Turk Telecom Arena should be welcomed by all.

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