Craig Bellamy Vs. Man City Gets Ugly: Spurs, Fulham And Cardiff Hover

Craig Bellamy is fresh off a critically acclaimed season at Manchester City, where his blockbuster performances and wholehearted application brought him cult status among the fans—second only to Carlos Tevez.

But his relationship with manager Roberto Mancini is so toxic he is being forced out of the club, and it seems unimaginable he'll pull on a blue shirt again at Eastlands.

Bellamy tore into his manager in a recent interview, claiming he had been marginalized at City and criticizing Mancini's approach. It was the latest chapter in a bitter, and increasingly public, feud between the pair, who were brought together when City sacked Bellamy's good friend Mark Hughes.

City reacted angrily to Bellamy's comments and reportedly banned him from training on the eve of the new season.

Mancini said he has no intention of including Bellamy in his 25-man squad for the new EPL season, leaving the 31-year-old to find another club or risk wasting an entire season in City's reserves.

But it isn't quite as simple as that.

Mindful of Bellamy's potential influence, as a player and a driven motivator of men, City are reportedly not keen on letting the Wales international join a rival club in the EPL. Tottenham and Fulham are both interested in getting Bellamy on board before the transfer window closes on August 31, but City will need some convincing.

One thing's certain: City would rather pay his £95,000/week wages for the rest of the season than watch him rob them of a Champions League spot (again) under Harry Redknapp at Tottenham.

All of which may give Hughes and Fulham the upper hand, especially when you consider his close relationship with Bellamy. The pair having played together for Wales, and Bellamy played under Hughes at Blackburn and City.

The dark horse is Cardiff City, the Championship side Bellamy holds dear to his heart and has always said he'd like to play for. While a transfer fee may be beyond their budget, Cardiff are unsurprisingly very keen on a loan move for Bellamy, who would be treated as something of a Messiah if he made the surprise move to drop a division at his peak and head to Wales.

Bellamy has reportedly already turned down offers to join Steve McClaren at Wolfsburg, and Neil Lennon at Celtic.

Whatever happens next you can be sure the next leg of Bellamy's roller-coaster footballing tour will be worth tuning in for. Let's just hope Mancini doesn't come across the striker on the golf course anytime soon (google Bellamy and John Arne Riise if you missed that one).