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It is Ladyman though
It is Ladyman though
Manchester City owner Sheik Mansour has promised Mark Hughes one marquee signing at the end of the January transfer window as he continues to throw millions of pounds at his struggling Barclays Premier League club.
Despite City's poor league position and their FA Cup defeat at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, the Sheik and his advisors have drawn up a list of four world stars which - amazingly - includes Chelsea defender and England captain John Terry.
It is understood that Sheik Mansour has given his support to the beleagured Hughes' plans to bolster his failing squad with the pragmatic signings of Wayne Bridge, Roque Santa Cruz, Scott Parker, Craig Bellamy and Kolo Toure.
But he is also intent on capturing either Terry, Valencia's David Villa, Barcelona's Lionel Messi or Milan's Kaka before trading closes for the season on February 2.
In a meeting with the Sheik's aide Simon Pearce a week ago, Hughes was told to press on with his current recruitment campaign.
It was also agreed that most of the current transfer window would be used to steady the City ship with sensible, mainly British-based, signings before more ambitious targets are pursued in the summer.
However, Pearce also made it clear that Sheik Monsour remains intent on giving Hughes a player with the same wow factor as Robinho in the final week of the window.
David Villa
Hot shot: Spain striker David Villa
Clearly, City have all but no chance of bringing in Terry at the moment, something that senior figures at Eastlands recognise, though he remains a serious long-term target for the club.
A successful move for the mercurial Messi is also considered highly unlikely at this stage but sources in the Middle East have told Sportsmail there is genuine hope that Villa or Kaka may be prised away from their clubs.
It is understood that Spain striker Villa is considered the most viable target by Hughes and work is ongoing behind the scenes to do a deal with the player and Valencia.
One problem City are facing as they look to attract world stars to Eastlands is the wages that the players are demanding, with Villa a prime example.
Aware that the Premier League club is effectively the richest in the world, players are looking to cash in and it is understood that all the major world stars made aware of City's interest have been quick to be clear that they wish to be placed in the £200,000-plus a week category.
This remains the case with Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, whom City continue to monitor, and indeed with Villa.
The problem for City is that, despite Sheik Mansour's riches they do not wish to be seen as easy targets for greedy players.
Robinho missed Saturday's FA Cup humiliation through injury but will be fit for Saturday's League game at Portsmouth.
But there has been more bad news about the permanently injured midfielder Michael Johnson.
Despite medical scans showing no signs of serious problems, Johnson continues to experience pain in both hips and has been ruled out again for the forseeable future.
Despite this, Everton are set to sign Johnson but the Merseyside club insists Mikel Arteta will not be going the other way.
City want Arteta and Joleon Lescott but Everton boss David Moyes is adamant his squad should not be disrupted while they are challenging for Europe.