Manchester City Transfers: Call Fact or Fiction on the Big Names Linked to Blues

Euro 2012 is over, and the opening fixtures of the new Premier League season are a little more than a month away.

Between now and then, expect new arrivals and drama surrounding the Etihad stadium.

Manchester City’s riches and recent success has seen them become linked with a plethora of big-name players.

The team’s biggest weakness is in defence, so naturally rumours surrounding a summer purchase of a big-name defender have been rife.

Further to this, the futures of Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Mario Balotelli all remain in doubt, meaning the Citizens have been linked with several big-name strikers.

This slideshow will trawl through the biggest transfer rumours surrounding Manchester City in an attempt to separate the fact from the fiction.

Robi Van Persie

Fact

This one’s a difficult one.

Robin van Persie has declared that he will not sign a contract extension with Arsenal.

The Daily Mail reports him saying: “I’ve thought long and hard about it, but I have decided not to extend my contract."

Despite this confirmation, however, Arsene Wenger remains resolute that he will sell his best player: “We want to keep Robin van Persie at all costs, because we depend on him offensively,” reports the Metro.

Roberto Mancini has at the same time revealed the Citizens' interest in the Dutchman.

“We have four strikers, and we will start the preseason in five days, it's unlikely there will be major changes in such a short time,” said the Man City boss to the Daily Mail.

Van Persie’s announcement, however, has thrown the cat among the pigeons. Mancini is a long-term admirer of the talismanic striker, according to the Guardian at least.

Parallels can reasonably be drawn between van Persie’s future and the sale of Samir Nasri last season, meaning a bid for van Persie is a definite possibility.

Edinson Cavani

Fiction

The Daily Star has reported that Edinson Cavani is open to a summer move to the blue side of Manchester City.

The Uruguayan striker is reported to have said:

"

"This is football, I think the president [Aurelio De Laurentiis] likes to play with the numbers."

“I think that regardless of whether an offer will come in or not, the chance to sit down and talk [about a transfer] will come,” he added.

"

According to the Sun, however, Riccardo Bigon, Napoli's sporting director, has stressed that the 25-year-old will not be leaving Italy.

He said:

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"I can confirm that Cavani is not for sale at any price."

"We don't have any meetings scheduled to discuss his future. There's no need to talk about it. We have a very close relation with Edinson."

"

The Daily Mail and the Mirror have run similar stories to the Sun’s report, which suggests that a purchase of the 25-year-old frontman is a distinct uncertainty.

Martin Skrtel

Fact

Another centre-back is perhaps Manchester City’s biggest need after their title-winning season.

Stefan Savic has looked vulnerable while deputising in the first team, and with Joleon Lescott aging, it may be worth Mancini investing in another defender to provide competition for a first-team slot.

The Daily Mail, the Sun and the Mirror have all reported interest from Manchester City in the 27-year-old, suggesting that a £20 million bid is being prepared by the Citizens.  

Despite this, the deal does not seem certain. Skrtel played every league game for Liverpool last season, a statistic that underlines his importance to the Reds.

The Merseysiders have invested a vast amount of money in their squad, and a League Cup victory and FA Cup final have not been deemed good enough by the club’s owners.

The sacking of Kenny Dalglish has sent out a powerful message on the club’s expectations, and the sale of one of their best assets would compromise the image the club are trying to build.  

TalkSport reports the Slovakian centre-back saying: "I would like to say that so far I have not received any specific offers and I have not been in talks with any club."

Fabricio Coloccini

Fact

A successful move for Martin Skrtel may not seem likely, but the future of Fabricio Coloccini is a different kettle of fish.

Mike Ashley’s vision on Newcastle’s future is an enigma.

Will the Magpies continue to grow, or will they become a selling club?

So far, evidence suggests that they are going to hold onto their key players, given that they are yet to move on any of their valuable players.

Despite this, they offloaded key players Joey Barton and Kevin Nolan last season, which suggests the Toon are open to the idea of selling their key assets.

TalkSport reports that Mancini is considering making a move for the Argentine centre-back, a story shared by the Daily Mail.

Daniel Agger

Fiction

The same TalkSport report linking Coloccini with a move to the Etihad has also suggested that Mancini has cast his gaze upon Danish centre-back Daniel Agger.

The 27-year-old centre-back has been a mainstay of Liverpool’s defence for the past six seasons, scoring four goals in 119 appearances.

Despite his stature at the club, the Guardian has suggested that the Reds may be interested in exchanging Agger for City’s England international, Joleon Lescott.

This move seems dependent on Joleon Lescott going the other way, which would not benefit the Citizens in their quest to bolster their defence. For this reason, the reported interest has to be seen as fictional.

Javi Martinez

Fact

Expect a bid for the Athletic Bilbao defender sooner rather than later.

Manchester City have been trailing the centre-back for some time, with a Daily Mail article from May 25 reporting they were on the verge of offering £25 million for the Spain international.

According to goal.com, however, Bilbao value Martinez at £32 million.

Since then, the Daily Mail has reported that Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich have joined the hunt for the 23-year-old, which may be why the Citizens are yet to further their interest.

The Spaniard will not be cheap, and the vast amount of interest will only increase Bilbao’s asking price.

Manchester City, however, have the financial resources to purchase the European-Championship-winning centre-back, and offer a realistic chance of success.

He may not join City, but expect Mancini to submit a formal offer before his future is resolved.

Dani Alves

Fiction

The Daily Star has reported that Dani Alves has fallen out with Barcelona’s hierarchy for playing in an international friendly without the club’s consent.

Alves played 25 minutes of a friendly against Argentina in New York, the same game in which teammate Lionel Messi scored a hat trick.

If this logic was true, however, Wenger would have offloaded the entire Arsenal squad.

Club management are never happy when one of their players represent their country, but the storm always blows over.

The move is all the more unlikely given that Alves signed a deal a little over a year ago which commits him to the Catalan club until 2015, according to ESPN.

Thiago Silva

Fact

There is truth to this story. Manchester City are interested in Thiago Silva.

Roberto Mancini met with AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri in May, according to the Mirror and goal.com, to discuss a potential transfer.

Both sources reported that a number of different exchange deals may help facilitate a move for the centre-back, who is valued at £42 million.

Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and Pablo Zabaleta had all been reportedly offered in exchange.

Any hope Man City fans may have of signing the AC Milan centre-back, however, have all but vanished. According to the Metro, Silva signed an extension on his current deal that will keep him at the San Siro until 2016.