Craig Bellamy Heads for Man City Exit

It can't be easy being a Manchester City player - with all that cash around you are only ever one signing away from being surplus to requirements, as Craig Bellamy has found out to his cost.

With David Silva completing his £25 million move to Eastlands this week, City boss Roberto Mancini has decided to let the Welshman go, despite the fact he was one of the club's most impressive performers last season.

However, rumours of a dispute between the striker and the Italian emerged almost immediately after the former Inter man's appointment and now, over six months later, it seems Bellamy has discovered no one is irreplaceable. It's like you'll see more than one Premier League betting prediction which suggests City will break the top four this season, and Mancini clearly thinks they don't need the former Newcastle man to help them do that.

Things will be far from straightforward when it comes to any deal, though. It is thought the Welshman is currently on around £95,000 a week and it's highly unlikely another Premier League club would be willing to match that sum.

This means Bellamy could face taking a significant pay cut in order to engineer a move or he could end up rotting on the bench.

That said, he has already managed to fight off competition for a place from one big name signing in the shape of Robinho, so he could be tempted to sit things out and see how well Silva adapts to life in the Premier League.

And even if he doesn't manage to win back a first-team place under Mancini, if things start badly for City the manager might not be around for too long. Could Bellamy gamble on a change of gaffer in the hope of remaining at Eastlands a little longer? The latest Premier League odds make City third favourites for the Premier League, but an early slip is likely to upset the owners.

Currently, the exit door seems the most like option for him, and his current employers could even opt for a subsidised loan move in order to get some of his wages off their books.

Whatever happens, Bellamy will be looking to prove his manager wrong, something his has a history of doing successfully.