Transfer news – Man City to tempt Chelsea with big Drogba bid

Manchester City are looking to bolster their already bulging forward options by launching a £20million bid to sign Chelsea’s Didier Drogba.

The 32-year-old Ivorian striker scored 29 league goals for the champions last term but City are hoping that the sum on offer may tempt Chelsea to part with a player approaching his twilight years.

The attraction for Drogba, in switching from the Premier League winners to a team only in the Europa League next year, which they are 6/1 favourites to win, may also come in the form of bundles of cash, with a reported £18million three-year contract on the table.

A player of Drogba’s physicality and brutal finishing would be the kind of top-drawer forward City need to make a real claim to the Premier League title, which they are 5/1 third-favourites to win.

He is not the only striker of his kind manager Roberto Mancini is after, though, with the Italian boss today confirming he is in the hunt for Wolfsburg’s Edin Dzeko.

The 6’3″ Bosnia and Herzogovina man, who has scored 58 goals in 71 games for the German side and 15 in 26 for his country, would cost around £30million and would be the focal point of a 4-3-3 formation.

The 24-year-old’s goals could realistically help City to a domestic cup double, currently priced at 28/1.

Another fresh face at Eastlands could be Mario Balotelli after Mancini today said of the player: “If Inter decide to sell, we will be there.”

The 19-year-old can play anywhere along the front and is remarkably talented. When Mancini was at Inter he enjoyed a decent relationship with the volatile youngster and could be the man to get the best out of him.

Two players who seem certain to leave through Eastland’s revolving door are Robinho and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

City today rejected a £16.7m bid from Besiktas for the Brazilian in the hope an offer closer to the £32.5million fee they paid comes in, while £6million-rated Wright-Phillips is wanted by Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham.

Should the England winger go to Spurs, he will face his old side in the first game of the season at White Harte Lane. The home team are currently 6/5 favourites to win, while City are 9/5.

Man City have already secured the services of David Silva, Yaya Toure and Jerome Boateng and if you think their squad can gel, it may be worth making the outlandish bet that they’ll do a quadruple of league title, FA Cup, Carling Cup and Europa League at 500/1. See the full Manchester City Specials market.