Manchester City eye Daniele De Rossi but wage demands could stop deal • Roberto Mancini keen to add to his midfield • City aware odds are against deal for Italy international
Daniele de Rossi has a reputation as a one-club man, and may decide to stay at the Stadio Olimpico, home of Roma. Photograph: Stefano Rellandini/Reuters
Daniel Taylor The Guardian, Fri 9 Dec 2011 22.45 GMT
Manchester City are investigating whether Daniele De Rossi can be tempted to leave Roma, but will need the Italy international to lower his salary requirements for the deal to stand any chance of happening.
Roberto Mancini has been made aware of De Rossi's potential availability at a time when the City manager is prioritising the addition of a central midfielder in the January transfer window. City have no plans to replace Carlos Tevez in attack until the end of the season, and the club have struggled to identify the top-class centre-half Mancini wants, in part because of their need to meet Uefa's financial fair play guidelines.
Those restrictions also apply in the case of De Rossi, with City's initial inquiries revealing that he could be bought for as little as £5m on the basis that his contract expires at the end of the season and, at 28, he would have little resale value. However, De Rossi would not come cheap when his wages are taken into account and City are not in a position to bring in another huge earner when they have just posted record annual losses of £197m. Their information is that the Italy international will want a wage of around £200,000 a week and that is simply not feasible. If that remains the case, City are reasonably comfortable doing no business in January and approaching the rest of the season with the squad that has taken them five points clear at the top of the Premier League, scoring 48 goals in their opening 14 fixtures.
De Rossi has a reputation as a one-club man, with 10 years in the Roma team, and he may yet decide to stay at the Stadio Olimpico. The Serie A club are trying to put together a financial package that will persuade him to sign a new deal; to do so, they will have to break their wage structure.
Mancini's concern is that Yaya Touré will potentially spend a month at the Africa Cup of Nations, which starts on 21 January, and that a difficult winter schedule on harder pitches could mean more injuries. So far, City have been fortunate in that respect, certainly more so than second-placed Manchester United, but Mancini does not want to leave anything to chance. De Rossi is a player he has coveted for a long time, although City are realistic about their chances and know the odds are against them. Their information is also that there is rival interest from other clubs, including Chelsea.
It shows that City are planning a more cautious approach to transfer business, even if their end-of-season list already includes Arsenal's Robin van Persie. A greater emphasis is being placed on targeting young, up-and-coming players and the club have noted the impressive performances of Wilfried Zaha, the 19-year-old Crystal Palace attacker. Mancini has discussed the teenager behind the scenes and intends to monitor his progress closely.
