HUGHES IN SECRET MISSION TO LAND RIBERY
City offer £200,000-a-week deal to Frenchman
MARK HUGHES flew to Munich last week on a top secret mission to convince Franck Ribery to sign for Manchester City.
Bayern Munich are resigned to losing their left winger if they fail to reach the Champions League knockout phase.
City are prepared to meet Bayern's staggering £60million valuation for the France winger and are prepared to pay the player a record £200,000 a week.
Hughes watched poor Bayern lose their Champions League tie against Bordeaux, but was in the Olympic Stadium to work on the deal.
Ribery, who is still sidelined with a long-term tendon injury, is also wanted by Chelsea and Real Madrid.
Ribery is close to Real's transfer advisor Zinedine Zidane and has long been expected to move to the Bernabeu.
And City were originally led to believe that Ribery would be joining Real next summer as part of the deal that took Arjen Robben to Germany.
But they have since been encouraged by Bayern's determination to get the highest possible price for Ribery after the breakdown in his relationship with Dutch coach Luis van Gaal.
His injury is a cause for concern, with some medical experts at Bayern not expecting the player to return until March.
That would put any potential move on hold until the summer, but Hughes is determined to be at the front of the queue to sign him.
The City chief is also waiting for Robinho to return to full fitness before making a decision on his future.
Hughes (right) wants to integrate him back into the team after his successful first season back in English football.
But the player's father Gilvan da Souza has admitted his son wants to make a switch to Barcelona in January, if Hughes allows him to leave.
Having scored just three goals in the Champions League this season Barca are desperate to bolster their attack.
Robinho's availability in Europe has made him their number one target.
Da Souza said: "He is a professional and he owes City with whom he has a contract, but if the clubs agree then the Barca option is very exciting."
Barca officials want to meet with Manchester City owners this week in Abu Dhabi to discuss terms of the switch.
City want an immediate return on the £32.5m they spent on the player last summer but Barca prefer a loan.
Da Souza, who is also Robinho's agent, continued: "Until the clubs announce something then we have to just wait and see what happens."
If City persuade Ribery to shun Chelsea and Real, he will be Robinho's replacement on the left.
Martin Petrov, another left sided player, is also in the mix but he is to be offered a new deal.
Spurs were hopeful of luring the Bulgarian away from Eastlands, but Hughes is keen to retain him and a two-year extension is now expected to be signed in early January.
Petrov has made no secret of his frustrations at a lack of starts this term.
But there has now been an easing of relations between Hughes and the player.
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This article has 15 comments
stilll only lost 1.................
By barry smth.. Posted November 15 2009 at 8:11 AM.
Realy pleased you have Gareth Barryat Man City and us at the Villa Collin Dunne , you will soon find out how often mr Barry fails to turn up for the game but certainly turns up for his massive wage packet. LOL
By Bernard.. Posted November 8 2009 at 11:26 PM.
The area of the team that needs strenthening should be in the defence rather than attack.Make use of defensive midfielders, who can provide cover for the back four.This strategy is working well for Chelsea at the moment. You cannot afford to concede cheap goals as happened in the match against Burnley.
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By ME Annan.. Posted November 8 2009 at 8:15 PM.
Matt- football isnt just about winning trophies anymore, football is a business now, and in business success is judged on how mcuh money u earn, how little u spend and how marketable your product is! the facts are that when our stadium is paid up we will make as much if not more profit thea Man Utd and Real Madrid and we will be self sufficient! We have had some of the highest profits in the PL since we moved to the Emirates and Wenger doesnt spend a fortune on players cos he has been able to build a world class squad out of cheap unknown players and youth players that will establish us as the dominant force in the PL in a couple of years! and yes its more talk about the future, but thats what is important, planning for the future ensures your survival as a club, not spending huge amounts and amassing hundreds of millions in debt in a desparate attempt to win trophies straight away!
and as for a marketable product, Wenger has built the most attractive team in England and argueably Europe that every true football fan loves to watch no matter who they support!!
Wenger has built a legacy that will last longer than any other managers and has been constantly changing the face of English footbal since he arrived here!
so theres your evidence, but then again i suppose u will just ignore the facts and keep spouting about Arsenal not winning a trophy for 4 years, even though we have won more trophies than any English team other than Utd and Liverpool, but i suppose that wont matter to you either does it! and if your a City fan u really shouldnt be going on about trophies anyway, cos u aint won anything yet!!
By mic84.. Posted November 8 2009 at 11:13 AM.
Another Owen Hargreaves in the making here. Why go for a player that may not kick a ball until August next year....
I am more concerned about the lack of tactical awareness thats going on after 5 draws and a team that is playing nowhere near their value.........
By Yashin.. Posted November 8 2009 at 11:04 AM.
Kev- and yes we did lose to the mighty Stoke at Stokes ground LAST season, but City lost to the mighty Stoke last season aswell! City also lost to Middlesborough and West Brom, 2 relegated sides, last seaon! and you lost 3 nil to Forrest in the 3rd round of the FA cup and u lost to Brighton and Hove Albion on penalties in the second round of the Carling Cup!!
next time think about what u are going to say before u say it cos overwise u just make yourself look stupid!!
By mic84.. Posted November 8 2009 at 11:00 AM.
i wonder whats going through Riberys mind right now, probably something like this "Hmmmmm.....earn big money in a City team full of under achieveing over rated average players, or go to Real Madrid, the club ive always dreamed of playing for, and earn the same money playing for the biggest club on the planet alongside some of the worlds best players?" not really a tough decision for him is it!!
as for City, they have seen in recent weeks that money may buy the talent but it doesnt buy the commitment or desire you need to win things! and yes they may have beaten Arsenal in Manchester but since that game who has looked the better team and had the better results! u may have only lost 1 game but u have drawn 5 in a row, and for those who are arithmatically challenged, that is a lose of 10 points, 13 dropped in all when u include the lose! a draw is only 1 point better than a loss and too many draws can cost u dearly, just look at Liverpool last season, only lost 2 games all year but drew too many and lost the league, and it was the same with Arsenal the year before!!
By mic84.. Posted November 8 2009 at 10:52 AM.
Well Kev, where's the evidence of how much of a 'success' Wenger's method is? Thats right there ain't much in the trophy cabinet for the last several years is there at Arsenal?
By Matt.. Posted November 8 2009 at 10:11 AM.
It's not more stardust thats needed at City, it's good old-fashioned "commitment and application". God only knows what has happened to Barry but he needs dropping - now! And paying such a ridiculous sum for Lescott was considered at the time by everyone except MH to be OTT. We could and should have got someone alot better for 24 million.
Ribery isn't needed - nor is anybody else for that matter. Just get them all to do what they are paid squillions to do!
By Bangkok-Bloomooner.. Posted November 8 2009 at 10:02 AM.
Mind your business should be the right word for those who criticize players for moving to clubs of their choice.
By David.. Posted November 8 2009 at 9:50 AM.
Why would any top class player like Ribery want to go to Manc City unless it is for the money. Manc City have drawn five games in a row and cant even beat Burnley
dont worry about city they have lost once the least in the lge also with ya name take it your a arsenal fan well city whooped your boys earlier in season and didnt you lose against the mighty stoke last year
By kev.. Posted November 8 2009 at 8:39 AM.
You don't win the Premier League or Champion League by adding two or three great players half way through the season. It is a game of team work, hardwork, startegies and good coaching. Arsene Wenger took two to three years to build a young, aggresive and capable team with fighting spirit. He puts heart and soul into what he is doing. There are naive people thinking spending some good money and can buy success. Real Madrid, Manchester City are some of them. Anyway, it is not the money of the manager nor the Chairman of the team. At the end the club will pay the bill anyway.
By norman.. Posted November 8 2009 at 8:35 AM.
Every one talk about our attack being so good but the point is they have to kill the games off.
We Know our defence is poor even after the millions spent.
But again a bad performance by Barry and the rest of the mid field.
Hughes just needs to give some of these players who dont turn up a spell on the bench.
Why not let Weiss and Johnson have a 30 mins and why he does not play Petrov from the start.
I have supported man city for 40 yrs and now to see these players show so such little commitment. I spend every game waiting for the mistakes and they come.
We are not top four and will be lucky if we make top 10.
We will get thrashed against the top teams.
By supporter.. Posted November 8 2009 at 1:17 AM.
they managed to beat the whingeing gooners tho.
By tucson-blue.. Posted November 8 2009 at 12:55 AM.
Why would any top class player like Ribery want to go to Manc City unless it is for the money. Manc City have drawn five games in a row and cant even beat Burnley!!!
By VanDaManPersie.. Posted November 8 2009 at 12:22 AM.