Friday, January 01, 2010

Mancini: I’ll Raid The Reds

Roberto Mancini will make a move for Fernando Torres and Co - if Liverpool finish outside the top four.

The Merseysiders face a cash crisis should they miss out on Champions League football next season.

And Manchester City chief Mancini has the mega-money to bag the Kop's crown jewels.

He said: "If they put Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres on the market, City will be interested.

"We at City will do everything possible to prevent Liverpool from finishing fourth."

Funds are already tight at Anfield and failure to make Europe's elite competition could force the club to sell their prized assets. There ]are worries striker Torres and talismanic skipper Gerrard may quit without the Champions League to play for.

While midfielder Javier Mascherano had looked to leave last summer to join Barcelona.

City would have to shell out more than £100million for Liverpool's biggest names.

But that would not be a problem for the club's billionaire Arab owners.

Mancini admits he needs to bolster his backline in the January window.

He said: "In defence I have so many out injured that there will be some coming and the same in midfield. In attack we don't have problems."

Mancini knows it will be easier to tempt the world's best stars to Eastlands if they qualify for the Champions League.

And he admitted he would love to have Inter Milan full-back Maicon and Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in his ranks after working with them at the San Siro.

Mancini told Italian website francorossi.com: "If City finish in the top four we will look for players of the highest level.

"I would like to have Maicon. With Ibra there's always been a rapport of great loyalty.

"He's world class. Which manager in the world wouldn't like Ibrahimovic?"

He added: "City is the best club in the world for an ambitious manager.

"There are very, very good players there but we must improve as it won't be easy to get to the top four."

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