According to the Daily Mirror, Manchester City will challenge Tottenham Hotspur for the signing of Red Bull Salzburg winger Sadio Mane in the summer. The paper reports that Tim Sherwood has twice sent chief scout Ian Broomfield to watch the 21-year-old in action, and that a £10m bid could be enough for the club to sell their prized asset. However, with Newcastle United and Chelsea also believed to be interested in the player, the Austrian club could be tempted to encourage a bidding war which would benefit them financially. Mane is likely to opt for a move that would see him play the most first team football.
In the build up to tomorrow's eagerly anticipated derby, David Silva has stoked the fire by claiming his side's arch-rivals have failed to get the best out of record signing and former Valencia team-mate Juan Mata. In an interview with the Independent, the Spaniard spoke about his friendship with Mata and dismissed rumours linking him with a move to Barcelona.
"It is a difficult situation for him because the team is not playing that well," Silva told the Independent.
"They have not managed to bring out the best out in him but he is a very talented player and he will show it.
(David Silva has opened up on his friend Juan Mata ahead of Tuesday's derby)
"He wasn't getting the minutes at Chelsea so it was a good move for him to go to United. I have been out to dinner with him and his family and we are friends. Anything he needs, he knows he can come to me for. Maybe after the game we can have a meal; it depends."
Silva added that he was 'flattered' by rumours of Barcelona's interest, but insisted that he is used to the constant rumours.
"I am flattered with the reports linking me to Barcelona, but it's just rumours. I am very used to rumours every summer."
In other news, Manchester City stopper Joe Hart feels he is still fighting for his place in the team, despite reclaiming his place from Costel Pantillimon last December. The England No.1 was dropped from the starting line-up in November after a series of shaky performances, and despite returning to his best form in recent weeks, Hart is still working to improve his game.
(Joe Hart still feels he is battling with Costel Pantillimon for a first team slot)
“I don’t feel it’s a case of that side of things being really solved. I’m still training hard – as I would be whether I was in or out of the team – and I’m always working to improve my game," Hart told the Manchester Evening News.
“I don’t want it to seem as though everything is fine or that it was part of my life that I will forget because I’m still living it and I am trying to live in the moment more recently.
“The past is the past and we don’t know what lies ahead in the future so it’s better to live day by day. We are going to get some wonderful opportunities at this club – some I will be playing in, some that I won’t – and I’m just trying to look at things the best I can.
“I try to keep things as neutral as possible. There was definitely a re-focus while I was out of the starting line-up and I quite enjoyed it as I tried to get back on track.”
And finally, Pablo Zabaleta has had his say on Tuesday's derby, and has told his teammates not to underestimate Manchester United. David Moyes's team have had a less than satisfactory season under the Scot since his arrival in the summer, but the Argentine believes the occasion will throw form out of the window.
"It doesn't matter, the situation of United. The game is special for both teams," Zabaleta said in an interview with Sky Sports News.
"We know how important it is to win the game for the players, the fans, the club. That is why we need to go there and try to win the game.
(Pablo Zabaleta believes the title race is in City's hands)
"We know Chelsea at the moment are on the top and even if we have got three games in hand we need to win there and see what happens next game.
"We have won at Old Trafford recently and hopefully we can do it again - but it is not just the United game. We need to win all of them."
Zabaleta also commented on his side's title chances, stating: "Hopefully, it won't be the same as last time we won the title because it is going to be difficult.
"But as I have said before, we just need to keep focused on what we are doing now. We need to try to win every game but everything is in our hands.
"We don't have an excuse now. We only have Premier League games and we have time to recover well between the games.
"We know it is going to be very tough until the end but we have a great team, we have belief enough to win this title.
"Everything depends on us. We just need to keep working hard and winning games. Hopefully we can celebrate something at the end of this season."
