Share

Mancini: City want Dzeko

London - Edin Dzeko's chances of joining Premier League title chasers Manchester City have been boosted with a ringing endorsement from City's manager Roberto Mancini.

The 24-year-old Bosnia striker is one of the Bundesliga's most prolific scorers and City are reported to be in negotiations to sign him from VfL Wolfsburg once the transfer window opens on Saturday.

"We have the chance to win the league this year and the decisive factor could be Edin Dzeko," Italian Mancini told the Daily Mail. "This player can decide titles and that is why we want him."

City, who are level on points with Manchester United at the top of the table, albeit having played two more games, have relied heavily on the goals of Carlos Tevez.

With Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz both out of favour with Mancini and Mario Balotelli yet to settle despite his hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Aston Villa on Tuesday, Dzeko's goalscoring record looks enticing.

Dzeko was Bundesliga topscorer with 22 goals last season and second topscorer the season in 2008/9 with 26, when Wolfsburg won the title.

He has scored 10 league goals in the first half of this season, even though Wolfsburg are struggling in 13th place.

Wolfsburg's English manager Steve McClaren said recently that it could be hard for the club to keep hold of Dzeko.

"We hope that Edin stays because he is a world class striker, but we are in the business of football and nothing is 100 percent certain," he said. "We will have to see what happens."

Wolfsburg have declined to comment on the speculation surrounding the player.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
67% - 879 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
33% - 433 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE