Manchester City Transfers: 7 Possible Attacking Replacements for Carlos Tévez

Whether he's transferred, sacked or is just generally done with his career, Carlos Tévez is leaving the Etihad, and soon. His disappearance last week will likely be the last straw, and there are a number of clubs who seem interested, with the frontrunners being AC and Inter Milan, respectively.

The Citizens have three great, in-shape strikers in Edin Dzeko, Sergio Agüero and Mario Balotelli, but Mancini may be looking for another attacking player to replace him.

Here are some strikers and a couple of attackers who Roberto Mancini and co. may be looking to fill the shoes of the tempestuous Tévez. As always, if we forgot anyone, have at it in the comments.

Ezequiel Lavezzi

The Napoli striker and Tévez's Argentina teammate was nicknamed "the Beast" by the Argentine media after a devastating performance for his old side, San Lorenzo, and his ferocity and finish have made him a favorite at Napoli. 

Manchester City has been investigating the possibility of a player swap with Napoli between Lavezzi and Tévez, a deal Napoli may be inclined to take as, according to the Metro, they were looking to try to bring over Mario Balotelli, but as the young striker has returned to form, City certainly won't sell.

But either way, Lavezzi won't come cheap: Corinthians bid £35 million on him over the summer, and their cash was turned down.

Edinson Cavani

Another possibility in terms of a player swap, as mentioned in the Metro report, is for Lavezzi's Napoli teammate, Edinson Cavani.

Cavani has wowed this year at Champions League surprise contenders Napoli, raising eyebrows for some of Europe's top-flight teams, including Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. 

Cavani has been on the radar of City's Italy-based scouts, and he himself has expressed interest in playing alongside Mario Balotelli, contending that he is very similar to City's star striker.

We can't really see Cavani donning a "Why Always Me?" shirt in a goal celebration at the Etihad, though.

Marek Hamsik

The Slovakian star may be an attacking midfielder and playmaker as opposed to a striker—and City's had no trouble finding players to fulfill an attacking midfield role, but the key to unlocking the full potential of either of their sought-after aforementioned Napoli strikers will be this guy.

Reports in the Metro (see previous slide) and Daily Mirror had said that City is interested in the explosive Hamsik as part of a deal to bring in Ezequiel Lavezzi. 

City first-team coach Fausto Salsano praised the Hamsik-Lavezzi combination:

"

Marek has become a very important player with the right experience. Lavezzi, on the other hand, is a devastating player who can hurt you one-on-one. Hamsik and Lavezzi are players we like because our aim is to do great things.

"

Iker Muniain

The Athletic Bilbao up-and-comer is primarily a winger, but he can play as a forward as well. The 18-year-old wonderkid has impressed the top flight of European football with his rapid-fire dribbling and already has first-team experience befitting someone much older. 

City reportedly wanted to sign Muniain back in 2009, and if they want to try again, they'll have to compete with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester United, the latter which has Muniain's good buddy and compatriot David de Gea. 

Eden Hazard

Hazard doesn't really make sense as a Tévez replacement, as he's a playmaker and a winger as opposed to a striker, but considering he's a phenomenal young attacking player and a high-profile rumored target for City, he was worth including.

The £25 million-rated playmaker has been called a "valuable" signing by Roberto Mancini, one of many managers looking to court the starlet when he leaves Lille at the end of the season.

City already has a pair of great playmakers in David Silva and Samir Nasri, so the biggest question is whether or not signing another one should be a priority. 

Robin Van Persie

This is a bit of an old story, and one that neither looks plausible now as Arsenal regains form, looks ready to get back in the top four and their captain is on fire, meaning Arsene Wenger and the club will be sure to keep him on lock, nor as City continues to prove they don't need a new Tévez with Balotelli and Agüero on form.

The captain says he will wait until the summer to negotiate a new contract with the Gunners, but in the highly unlikely event of a departure, Manchester City and Inter Milan are among the first clubs to express interest and are reportedly preparing to line up some seriously hefty bids.   

Mario Balotelli

Like the heroine of every romantic comedy ever, maybe Manchester City just needs to realize the right guy was right there for them all along.

City has a lot of firepower in their top three strikers even with Tévez on the bench, so why not continue to develop Mario Balotelli into the star he's already becoming?