Soccer:Roberto Mancini expects Manchester City to bid for Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero this week, despite Carlos Tevez's proposed exit stalling. After City's 2-1 friendly win over Vancouver Whitecaps the post-match discussion soon turned to the Argentine forwards.
Mancini claimed yesterday morning that Tevez was set to join Corinthians after a €46 million bid for the 27-year-old had been accepted by City, but the Brazilian outfit later denied that, saying a there was a counter-proposal from the Blues they had not yet considered.
After the Whitecaps win, Mancini rowed back a little but insisted negotiations were ongoing but an agreement was yet to be reached.
"The clubs are talking," said the Italian. "They only have one number and it does not work at the moment."
Clearly though, Mancini is planning for life without his skipper, having confirmed a bid is expected to be lodged for Aguero in the next couple of days.
"Maybe in the next days," he said. "I have not spoken to anyone about it, but probably. I think so."
Midfielder Gareth Barry admitted there has been some dressing room discussion about Tevez, and that he does believe the South American has played his final game for City. However, the England star was not prepared to downplay his input.
"There has obviously been the odd chat about Carlos," revealed Barry. "He has made it clear he is ready to leave and the players will respect his decision. It is down to the club to decide what fee they want for Carlos.
"We would be sad to lose him because he is a class player who has worked really hard for the club. If you believe what you read, then yes, he has played his last game. But he has been great for Manchester City. He has helped the club win its first trophy and he has always given 100%. We are grateful for that."
And, such is the nature of City these days, the loss of one top player just heralds the arrival of another.
"Aguero is a very exciting player from what I have seen on TV," said Barry. "He is a class act. Names like that will excite fans and the players."
