Manchester City Transfer News: Are City Out of the Race for Robin van Persie?

Touted as one of the three teams with a chance to sign Arsenal striker Robin van Persie over the summer window, Manchester City are rumored to be dropping behind in their attempts to sign the Dutch international.

City manager Roberto Mancini is believed to be furious with the club about their lack of initiative and desire to sign Van Persie, who remains the club's top transfer priority. So far, the Premier League champions have simply offered the bare minimum—like Manchester United and Juventus—where Mancini believes they should be doing everything they can to sign the striker.

According to reports in both The Daily Mail and The Daily Mirror, the Citizens boss is frustrated at the way the club has handled the situation so far. Per The Daily Mail:

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Mancini has become increasingly unhappy that the Barclays Premier League champions have dithered—possibly missing their chance to capture his prime target, who has told the Gunners he will not sign a new deal when his current one expires next year.

City have the financial muscle to gazump either United or Juventus and can offer an attractive personal package but have become intent on selling Emmanuel Adebayor or Carlos Tevez or both before signing another striker on big wages—an attempt to acknowledge UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations.

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Manchester United and Juventus both do not have the financial backing of Manchester City and with The Daily Mail reporting that Arsenal want around £30 million for their star striker, City are seemingly in the best position of the three to land Van Persie.

It is understandable, therefore, why Mancini is so frustrated by the club's dare I say, lackadaisical attitude towards the whole transfer. Van Persie is not the top transfer priority for United that he is for City, yet because of Manchester City's hesitance to nab the prospect, he could well make a move to Old Trafford.

Simply put, if Robin van Persie moves to anywhere other than Manchester City, the Citizens have nobody else to blame but themselves. It is no secret that they are the best landing destination—they can offer the best package for the striker, and he can fit well with the team—meaning that they should be able to sign him for the upcoming Premier League season.

Roberto Mancini is pulling his own hair out that Van Persie is not already on his way to the Etihad, and rightly so, for they may well have just lost their chance to pick up the hottest player on the transfer market and handed him to their fiercest rivals on a silver platter.

I'd be pulling my hair out too.

Are Manchester City still in the race to sign Robin van Persie?

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