By Steve Bates
Manchester City have taken their first step towards ditching Mario Balotelli – by making a £45million bid for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani, writes the Sunday People.
The bid was made by City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain at Christmas – BEFORE Balotelli’s training-ground fight with manager Roberto Mancini.
Despite support from City’s wealthy owners for the madcap striker, patience has now worn thin among Balotelli’s Etihad team-mates.
Former allies like skipper Vincent Kompany and Gareth Barry have become exasperated by his behavior.
And it’s clear from Begiristain’s first moves for Uruguayan goal-machine Cavani that Balotelli’s days are numbered even if Mancini is prepared to give him another chance.
Napoli chief Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed a bid has been made, saying: “Cavani is a warrior who embodies all that’s best of the Napoli spirit and our supporters. It is because of this that I turned down an offer of 55 million euros.”
But Cavani himself would love a crack at the Premier League – and is convinced he would be as big a hit as his compatriot Luis Suarez.
“I know that there has been interest from Premier League teams,” he said. “I know I would be a success in the Premier League – and it is an exciting prospect.”
But City will need to shift a striker out before Cavani comes in – possibly in the summer – and that will almost certainly be Balotelli.
AC Milan have shown interest in the Italian bad boy but City may struggle to get the £25m they want for him given his unpredictable temperament. And Milan will not act until the summer.
