£60m City Bid For John Terry
Arab owners ready to bankroll mega bid for Chelsea skipper
MANCHESTER CITY are ready to launch an incredible £60million bid for John Terry.
City's billionaire Arab owners plan to test Chelsea's resolve after identifying the England captain as their No 1 target.
Ideally City would love to land Terry in the January transfer window but recognise there is more chance of the deal happening at the end of the season.
I understand Terry emerged as the man around whom City want to build a title-challenging side after talks between manager Mark Hughes, chief executive Gary Cook and Sheikh Mansour, who heads the investment company which owns the club.
Hughes was asked to identify the leading player in the world in every position and was told by Sheikh Mansour the club would do everything possible to bring them to Eastlands.
Although Terry is seen as the cornerstone of Chelsea's recent success, City's Abu Dhabi owners firmly believe every player has his price.
They would happily sanction a £200,000 a week deal for Terry, making him the highest paid player in the world.
And at a time when the credit crunch has hit his multi-billion pound empire, even Roman Abramovich would be forced to contemplate the massive £60m fee.
Hughes explained to Sheikh Mansour that while the likes of AC Milan playmaker Kaka might bring the glamour the Arabs crave, he wants to build a side strong in class and experience . . . with Terry a vital part of that.
It is believed City have already put the wheels in motion on both deals with third parties sounding out representatives of the players.
Impact
Despite Terry's status as ‘Mr Chelsea' he may have his head turned by the £10m a year salary package.
While Terry has a major sense of loyalty to Chelsea, he wasn't best pleased at how long it took him to secure a new £140,000 a week contract at the Bridge, only for Frank Lampard to successfully hold out for a better deal. Chelsea sources have talked openly about their distrust of City following the bidding war which saw them miss out on Robinho during the last transfer window.
One factor in City's favour, however, is the increasing uncertainty of the true impact of the global financial crisis on Abramovich.
The Russian's personal wealth was estimated to be around £11billon last year but it is believed some of his companies have suffered huge losses in recent months.
Pressure
And the word around the club is that chief executive Peter Kenyon has been told lavish spending in the transfer market is now a thing of the past.
City's owners, on the other hand, are in a different financial league with Sheikh Mansour reputed to be worth over £50bn.
The next step of their plan to become the ‘New Chelsea' is put the financial pressure on the West London club and see if Abramovich would be tempted by a £60m fee.
City's statement of intent will be confirmed in January when they finalise a £50m deal for Juventus keeper Gigi Buffon.
Sections of the Italian media were reporting yesterday that Buffon's wife has already visited Manchester to check out possible accomodation.
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/sport/82168/pound60M-CITY-BID-FOR-JOHN-TERRY-Arab-owners-ready-to-bankroll-mega-bid-for-Chelsea-skipper.html
Arab owners ready to bankroll mega bid for Chelsea skipper
MANCHESTER CITY are ready to launch an incredible £60million bid for John Terry.
City's billionaire Arab owners plan to test Chelsea's resolve after identifying the England captain as their No 1 target.
Ideally City would love to land Terry in the January transfer window but recognise there is more chance of the deal happening at the end of the season.
I understand Terry emerged as the man around whom City want to build a title-challenging side after talks between manager Mark Hughes, chief executive Gary Cook and Sheikh Mansour, who heads the investment company which owns the club.
Hughes was asked to identify the leading player in the world in every position and was told by Sheikh Mansour the club would do everything possible to bring them to Eastlands.
Although Terry is seen as the cornerstone of Chelsea's recent success, City's Abu Dhabi owners firmly believe every player has his price.
They would happily sanction a £200,000 a week deal for Terry, making him the highest paid player in the world.
And at a time when the credit crunch has hit his multi-billion pound empire, even Roman Abramovich would be forced to contemplate the massive £60m fee.
Hughes explained to Sheikh Mansour that while the likes of AC Milan playmaker Kaka might bring the glamour the Arabs crave, he wants to build a side strong in class and experience . . . with Terry a vital part of that.
It is believed City have already put the wheels in motion on both deals with third parties sounding out representatives of the players.
Impact
Despite Terry's status as ‘Mr Chelsea' he may have his head turned by the £10m a year salary package.
While Terry has a major sense of loyalty to Chelsea, he wasn't best pleased at how long it took him to secure a new £140,000 a week contract at the Bridge, only for Frank Lampard to successfully hold out for a better deal. Chelsea sources have talked openly about their distrust of City following the bidding war which saw them miss out on Robinho during the last transfer window.
One factor in City's favour, however, is the increasing uncertainty of the true impact of the global financial crisis on Abramovich.
The Russian's personal wealth was estimated to be around £11billon last year but it is believed some of his companies have suffered huge losses in recent months.
Pressure
And the word around the club is that chief executive Peter Kenyon has been told lavish spending in the transfer market is now a thing of the past.
City's owners, on the other hand, are in a different financial league with Sheikh Mansour reputed to be worth over £50bn.
The next step of their plan to become the ‘New Chelsea' is put the financial pressure on the West London club and see if Abramovich would be tempted by a £60m fee.
City's statement of intent will be confirmed in January when they finalise a £50m deal for Juventus keeper Gigi Buffon.
Sections of the Italian media were reporting yesterday that Buffon's wife has already visited Manchester to check out possible accomodation.
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/sport/82168/pound60M-CITY-BID-FOR-JOHN-TERRY-Arab-owners-ready-to-bankroll-mega-bid-for-Chelsea-skipper.html