History will be kind to me because I intend to write it

CITY TO BID £132M FOR RONALDO

Manchester City's mega-rich new owners are aiming to buy Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas in the January transfer window - and they don't mind splashing out hundreds of millions of pounds to get them.

Abu Dhabi United Group (Adug), who want to make City the biggest club in the world, broke the British transfer record on Monday, spending £32.5m on Brazilian forward Robinho just minutes before the transfer window closed.

And had Adug's £210m takeover gone through earlier than Sunday, a number of other top players could have arrived at Eastlands.

On Monday, public bids were tabled for strikers Dimitar Berbatov, Mario Gomez and David Villa, while there were whispers of a £45m offer for Liverpool's Torres, who scored the winning goal for Spain in the Euro 2008 final.

Anil Bhoyrul, editorial director of www.arabianbusiness.com and a close friend of Adug figurehead Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim, claims that Portuguese winger Ronaldo, who plays for City's rivals Manchester United, could be signed for a staggering £132m.

Bhoyrul had a meeting with Al-Fahim on Monday and said of their conversation: "He plans to do with Manchester City what [Roman] Abramovich did with Chelsea.

"I have a list of the players Dr Sulaiman wants to go out and bid for. One is Ronaldo. He says he does not have a problem tabling a £120m bid, just to see what the reaction is. His tactic is to say to Manchester United and Chelsea: 'Hey, we're in town.'

"He also rates Torres and Fabregas. With Ronaldo, he thinks they are the three best players in the world."

Al-Fahim himself said: "Funds are available - we are serious. Ronaldo has said he wants to play for the biggest club in the world, so we will see in January if he is serious.

"Real Madrid were estimating his value at $160m but for a player like that, to actually get him, will cost a lot more - I would think $240m [£132m].

"But why not? We are going to be the biggest club in the world, bigger than both Real Madrid and Manchester United."

Labels: Abu Dhabi United Group, Adug, Manchester City, Premier League

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 4:06 pm | Permalink | Comments

CITY FANS IN 'DREAMLAND' BUT FEAR FOR YOUTH

Manchester City fans are in "dreamland" following the cash injection from new owners Abu Dhabi United Group (Adug) and the British transfer record signing of Brazilian star Robinho.

Adug have links with the United Arab Emirates royal family, who are worth more than a trillion pounds, and are fronted by Sulaiman al-Fahim. He has vowed to turn City into the new Chelsea and end the club's 32-year wait for silverware sooner rather than later.

After former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was bought out for a reported £210m by Adug on Sunday evening, City wasted little time in tabling bids for a number of top footballers before the transfer window closed at midnight on Monday.

The 24-year-old forward Robinho moved to Eastlands for a record £32.5m, snubbing Chelsea at the 11th hour. And, aside from unsuccessful bids for Dimitar Berbatov, Stuttgart's Mario Gomez and David Villa of Valencia, there were also offers for some of the Premier League's biggest stars.

Kevin Parker, the general secretary of the official Manchester City supporters club, has heard rumours that Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas and Cristiano Ronaldo had all been approached to sign for City, who last won a trophy in 1976 - the League Cup.

"Most people knew that City had bid for Gomez, Villa, Robinho and Berbatov," said the 47-year-old, "but there were also stories that were never made public that they had bid £45m for Torres.

"On Tuesday morning there were stories that came out that said that Torres, Fabregas and Ronaldo are now on the radar. There was talk of a £120m offer for Ronaldo, just to see what United's response would be.

"Robinho is an unbelievable signing. I'm sure it is not wasted money either - this guy is the real deal, especially if Chelsea have been chasing him all summer."

On Fahim's target of City finishing in the top four this season, Parker believes a top six finish is more realistic. He continued: "Mark Hughes is building a really good team.

"We are in shock and in dreamland with what has happened, but I think top six is a good target - top four is too optimistic at the moment. New signings Shaun Wright-Phillips and Vincent Kompany look fantastic. Shaun's two goals against Sunderland on his 're-debut' were a dream.

"If we get to January and are still in the mix, it will be very interesting to see what the activity in the next transfer window will be. We should be able to attract some great players.

"But I feel sorry for the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Ched Evans [both 19], who won the FA Youth Cup with City last season and have had a sniff of first team action this year.

"With the new signings they are probably thinking: 'What's going to happen to me?' But training with the likes of Brazilians Elano, Jo and Robinho will help their game. You would hope that they will be patient. It will be much harder for them to break into the team.

"It is important that Hughes remains at the helm though. He will take us forward and is sensitive to the youth team. I just hope his position is not compromised by Adug."

Labels: Adug, Indian Premier League, Manchester City, Robinho

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 2:41 pm | Permalink | Comments