City interest: Barcelona duo Yaya Toure and Zlatan IbrahimovicManchester City are said to have stepped up their interest in Barcelona duo Yaya Toure and Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the Eastlands side scour La Liga for recruits.
Backed with Abu Dhabi millions, City are also keen on Valencia's £25million-rated midfielder David Silva, while sources in Spain claimed on Thursday they had also held talks with Real Madrid about Gonzalo Higuain, Fernando Gago and Rafael van der Vaart.
City are mindful that UEFA financial fairplay rules approved on Thursday will prevent excesses in future because spending must be linked to income if they want to play in the Champions League or Europa League.
That means another two years of big-spending is a prospect before the regulations properly kick in from 2012.
Their hopes of doing business at the Bernabeu are on hold while Jose Mourinho assesses who should be kept and who is expendable.
However, Madrid director general Jorge Valdano insists Higuain, the club's leading scorer in La Liga last season, is not for sale.
The Argentina striker is struggling to agree a new contract and is looking for a huge rise on his relatively small £15,000 a week deal, but the club have time on their side.
'Higuain is under contract for three more years and he set the benchmark last season,' said Valdano. 'He is not for sale.'
In demand: Valencia star David Silva Doing business with Barcelona should be much more straight forward. Although Pep Guardiola would like to keep Toure, the holding midfielder is not prepared to suffer another season as a squad player and will be allowed to leave for the right price.
Chelsea are also interested in the brother of City defender Kolo.
Despite declarations that Ibrahimovic has a future in Catalonia, Barca are prepared to sell him for bids of about £35m, although reports in Spain suggest they will chance their arm by asking moneybags City to stump up more than £60m for a double deal with Toure.
City boss Roberto Mancini was able to get the best out of Ibrahimovic when they both worked together at Inter Milan, but the Sweden striker's move to La Liga has not met expectations and he risks being sidelined after the signing of David Villa from Valencia.
Reports in Catalonia say there were tentative talks last week and that two officials from City are due at the Nou Camp in the coming hours to resume negotiations. The City party were said to be at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Mancini appears to be setting his sights high, despite not being able to offer targets Champions League football next season and is also keen on Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko.
source: dailymail
