Manchester City latest transfer rumours & team news, Jan 4

No sooner than Manchester City Football Club having finally arranged for the departure of enfant terrible Mario Balotelli do the rumours fly in that his dressing room hanger will be handed to another international star, either Cristiano Ronaldo or Radamel Falcao.

If rumours are believed to be true, Manchester City fans can expect some heavy artillery to be added to the front line of the team when the summer transfer window opens and it’s said to be a toss-up between two of La Liga’s greatest.

With £20m burning a hole in his pockets, Roberto Mancini will be encouraged to spend big on a recognized goal scorer and restore faith in fans meaning the owners will add to the Mario Balotelli transfer funds to land their chosen target.

Let’s weigh up the options for Manchester City: Ronaldo won’t come cheap, in fact another world record may need to be broken in order to attain his services, notwithstanding a heft wage bill, which all in all could be seen as a negative factor in the eyes of the board.

Bookmakers currently have Jose Mourinho, manager of Real Madrid, favourite to replace Mancini at the end of the season and if their prediction rings true the Special One may negotiate a sweet deal for both parties.

Second choice transfer target Radamel Falcao is a more realistic move from a business perspective and although he too will have a costly price tag hanging over him, City will prefer to propose a bid of up to £35m for a proven goal machine.

David Villa is an outside bet as the next striker to join Manchester City after revealing his intentions to seek first-team football elsewhere rather than at current club Barcelona, a more cost-efficient deal could still be made to bring in the Spain striker, aged 31.

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