the signing of striker Mario Balotelli, according to sources.
AC Milan are already in negotiations with City about
bringing Italy international Balotelli back to Serie A,
But other Sources say, it appears Italian
champions Juve are now competing with them for the
22-year-old's signature.
City manager Roberto Mancini has consistently
rubbished speculation linking Balotelli with a return to
Italy, and as recently as Monday morning Mancini's
assistant David Platt played down the prospect of a
deal before Thursday's transfer deadline.
But the latest reports suggest a move for Balotelli
could be imminent.
There has been no official comment from City, and
even Platt was in the dark when he stood in for Mancini
at a press conference ahead of Tuesday's trip to
Queens Park Rangers.
He said: "We've three days left before the deadline, but
I haven't heard anything, to be honest. It's speculation.
"It's a shame Robbie's not here, because he might
know a lot more than me. As far as we're concerned,
he's still a Manchester City player. I'm not aware of any
negotiation."
Balotelli, who previously played for Inter Milan, was
labelled a "bad apple" by Milan's owner Silvio
Berlusconi earlier this season after a series of
disciplinary problems during his two-and-a-half-years
in England.
But neither that outburst, nor Berlusconi's claim last
week that the 22-year-old is out of Milan's price range,
has killed off talk of a deal with speculation in Italy
suggesting Milan are prepared to pay around £20m
plus add-ons.
Balotelli has travelled with the City squad to London for
the game at QPR and is available having overcome the
virus which kept him out of Saturday's FA Cup fourth-
round win at Stoke.
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