According to reports from The Daily Star, Manchester City are preparing a £28million January bid for Arsenal and Liverpool strike target Mauro Icardi.
The Inter Milan frontman has been linked with a number of top English clubs since the end of last season, in no small part due to him finishing the 2014/15 campaign as Serie A’s top scorer with 22 goals in 36 appearances.
He appeared to end speculation by signing a four-year contract in June and later accepting the Nerazzurri armband, but links with the Premier League’s big boys have cropped up again in recent weeks.
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Icardi’s struggle for form this season, netting just four times across all competitions thus far, saw him dropped by manager Roberto Mancini last month – inevitably leading to reports of Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool targeting the 5 foot 11 striker for January transfer window.
But according to The Daily Star, who cite Italian publication Gazzetta Dello Sport, yet another Premier League outfit has joined the race for Icardi’s signature – title favourites Manchester City.
It is claimed Manuel Pellegrini’s side aim to blow rival suitors out of the water with a £28million bid, hoping the Argentine can prove a better stand-in for countryman Sergio Aguero than Wilfried Bony – who has scored just eight goals since joining the Etihad ranks in January.
Whether the bid proves to be successful, however, remains to be seen. Icardi insisted last month that he has no intention of leaving the San Siro in January, telling reporters; “I stay here this season as I did the last one. I’m also the captain and I can’t leave a team which is doing good things.”