Manchester City plan Napoli and Celtic raid in squad overhaul bid

With Manchester City’s attempted title defence looking destined to fail this season, manager Roberto Mancini is ready to oversee a mass transition of personnel this summer.

Mancini is expected to let a number of players go, with midfielder Samir Nasri, and forwards Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko heavily linked with end-of-season switches abroad.

And the Italian has already begun to identify potential replacements for those players, with Napoli striker Edinson Cavani and Celtic midfielder Victor Wanyama atop of his wishlist.

Cavani would prove the most expensive addition, as City would have to fend off interest from a host of European giants to secure the Uruguayan’s services.

Superlative Champions League displays last term, which included goals against City and Chelsea, bolstered his value immensely, and alerted the likes of Real Madrid and PSG.

Desperate not to be left behind by their domestic rivals though, amidst Chelsea’s increased interest in Atletico Madrid forward Falcao, the Citizens may be willing to break the British transfer record for Cavani.

The powerful striker has a £52m buy-out clause in his Stadio San Paolo contract, and Mancini now looks prepared to trigger that.

At 25 years old, Serie A’s 18-goal top scorer has considerable resale value, and is evidently seen as the ideal man to provide City with the cutting edge they so crave.

Meanwhile, the Citizens’ interest in Celtic star Wanyama has also peaked, with Sky Blues scouts present at Parkhead for the Hoops’ recent Champions League clash with Juventus.

The Kenyan powerhouse is the type of dominant midfielder Mancini has missed since allowing Nigel De Jong to depart, and he could test Celtic’s resolve for the 21-year-old this summer.

Wanyama has also interested Manchester United and Arsenal, and looks almost certain to leave Glasgow this summer, with less than a year-and-a-half remaining on his Bhoys deal.

City’s financial might puts them in pole position to secure the box-to-box prospect though, and he could prove one of a vast number of players through the Etihad revolving door this close-season.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.