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City on the brink of Luiz swoop

Manchester City are preparing to make their move for Benfica defender David Luiz, and are ready to bid £25 million for the Brazilian defender, who they have been tracking for some time.

But as RashyCruz.Blogspot revealed earlier this month, Benfica want £35 million for highly-rated left-back Luiz, who has a £45 million buy-out clause in his contract, so City will likely be asked to up their offer.

Luiz can also play as a defensive midfielder and is on the wanted list of several top European clubs, but City have set out their willingness to spend big to land him ahead of their rivals.

City manager Roberto Mancini has watched Luiz several times this season and was impressed when the Brazilian's performance against Liverpool in the Europa League quarter-finals.

The 23-year-old has also been watched by Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United, but City are the first to accept Benfica's massive valuation.

Luiz, who joined Benfica from Brazilian club Vitoria three years ago, has formed a strong defensive pairing with compatriot Luisao at the heart of the defence, though his considerable pace allows him to be equally comfortable at left back.

Many of Benfica's players have caught the eye after guiding the club to the Portuguese title - the club's first triumph in five years - and RashyCruz.Blogspot broke the story earlier this month that City were chasing both Luiz and team-mate Angel Di Maria in a sensational double swoop.

Benfica's enormous reported price tag of £75 million for the pair would put many clubs off, but City are in a unique position to afford such princely sums.

Man City player ratings

With another term coming to end, and a summer holiday dominated by the World Cup fast approaching, it seems an appropriate time to deliver those all-important report cards for the Premier League elite.

So which players excelled themselves, and which were left fearing the hairdryer treatment on a weekly basis? RashyCruz.blogspot deliver their its out of ten.

Carlos Tevez - 9. Had a lot to live up to after a controversial cross-town move from Manchester United and that billboard, but you can't argue with a return of 29 goals. Led the line with his boundless enthusiasm and determination, and deserves to be playing in the Champions League next season. One of few players Sir Alex Ferguson will regret letting go.

Shay Given - 8.5. The Irishman's importance to City was probably best summed up by the farcical goalkeeping crisis that engulfed the club when he dislocated his shoulder with three games to go. Given was almost faultless behind a defence that was anything but, and has been arguably the best signing since the Abu Dhabi takeover.

Adam Johnson - 8. Like Shay Given, a bargain at £7 million and proof that City don't have to buy success. Few people expected Johnson to have such a big impact when he signed in the January window but his ability to excel on either flank has kept Shaun Wright-Phillips out of the team and negated the loss of Robinho. Deserves a shot at the World Cup for England.

Vincent Kompany - 7.5. Might have expected a return to midfield after City spent the best part of £40 million on Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure in the summer, but Kompany has once again been the club's outstanding centre back despite missing the first two months of the season recovering from toe surgery.

Craig Bellamy - 7. One of the most electrifying wingers in the Premier League on his day, Bellamy is an asset to any team but he lacks consistency and the ability to get on with just about anybody except Mark Hughes. The fiery Welshman's fall-out with Roberto Mancini over training and how best to protect his suspect knees is likely to lead to his departure this summer, probably to Spurs.

Nigel De Jong - 7. Arguably City's most consistent central midfielder. A tough, no-frills character who helps provide a valuable anchor to a team over-laden with attacking talent.

Pablo Zabaleta - 7. Solid performer and a popular player with Roberto Mancini who has made full use of the Argentine's versatility. Mancini has often preferred him to Micah Richards at right back, but Zabaleta has also appeared on the left side of defence and across City's midfield. Never let his manager or teammates down.

Gareth Barry - 6.5. One of those industrious 'unsung heroes' but, even so, it is tempting to wonder what all the fuss was about when City gazumped Liverpool to sign him from Aston Villa. A solid midfield operator who may yet make the World Cup after injury, but are City any weaker with Nigel de Jong, Patrick Vieira or Pablo Zabaleta in his place?

Emmanuel Adebayor - 6. Started the season on fire after a £25 million move from Arsenal but it all began to awry when he came up against his old club, earning a ban for raking his studs down the face of Robin van Persie and widespread criticism for his goal celebration in front of the Gunners fans. His season was turned upside down after the Togo terrorist atrocity in January and, unsurprisingly, will view the season as a disappointment.

Patrick Vieira - 6. Slow start by a 33-year-old who has lost his pace and arrived from Italy in January with a calf injury, but Vieira began to show flashes of the form that made him a dominant midfield force at Arsenal and was imperious against Aston Villa towards the end of the season. Worth keeping around for another year. With a full pre-season under his belt, he could improve even more.

Joleon Lescott - 5.5. Took time to rediscover his form after a fractious £22 million move from Everton, and then suffered knee and hamstring injuries just when things seemed to be looking up. No guarantee Lescott would have gone to the World Cup even if he was fit.

Wayne Bridge - 5. He will be glad to see the back of a season in which he suffered a knee injury, a hernia and a broken heart. John Terry's affair with his ex-partner may have grabbed the headlines and led to the City defender's withdrawal from the World Cup, but Bridge also suffered on the pitch as two prolonged injury absences limited his contribution.

Micah Richards - 5. The youngest defender ever to be capped by England continues to see his stock fall, and it was no surprise to see Richards' name omitted from Fabio Capello's World Cup squad. One of several homegrown City players who may benefit from a fresh start elsewhere.

Shaun Wright-Phillips - 5. His call-up to England's extended World Cup squad should not mask what has been a frustrating season. Another product of City's academy who has struggled to find favour with Roberto Mancini despite a regular run in the side under Mark Hughes, Wright-Phillips admits his form and confidence have suffered. A dispute over his new contract terms has not helped either.

Sylvinho - 4.5. Arrived at Eastlands as a Champions League winner but his lack of pace was exposed, particularly in a 3-0 defeat at Tottenham in December when he was given a real chasing by Aaron Lennon. It wasn't all Sylvinho's fault, but that result signalled the end for manager Mark Hughes and was vital in the final reckoning for Champions League places.

Kolo Toure - 4.5. Signed from Arsenal as a leader who would bring experience and stability to City's defence, but has looked vulnerable on too many occasions. His partnership with Lescott did not live up to expectations, and no one can blame City fans for pining after Richard Dunne.

Stephen Ireland - 4. A key attacking midfielder and City's player of the season under Mark Hughes, Ireland's involvement has dipped alarmingly since Roberto Mancini took over in mid-season. The Italian says Ireland can get back to his best if his attitude changes, but he might well decide his future lies elsewhere.

Martin Petrov - 4. The Bulgarian winger missed the last three months of a frustrating season with the knee injury he aggravated in mid-February and is expected to leave at the end of his contract this summer.

Roque Santa Cruz - 4. Another forward with dodgy knees, Santa Cruz continues to live off that one good season at Blackburn. No other clubs were in the queue when Mark Hughes offered his old club £18 million for the Paraguayan and now we know why. In a season spent on the periphery, it was ironic that two of his three Premier League goals came in Hughes' last stand at home to Sunderland.

Robinho - 2. Well, what can you say? The £32.5 million Brazilian has replaced Juan Sebastian Veron as the most expensive South American flop in the history of the Premier League. Signed as a statement of intent by the new owners, he became a symbol of all that is wrong about the City 'project'. Shipped off to Santos on loan by Roberto Mancini, who made a statement of his own, it was perhaps appropriate that the disappointing Robinho soap opera ended at Scunthorpe in the FA Cup.

Roque hopes for Ireland stay

Roque Santa Cruz has urged Manchester City team-mate Stephen Ireland not to turn his back on the Eastlands club amid mounting speculation over the midfielder's future.

Ireland has struggled to find his way into the plans of City manager Roberto Martinez following the Italian's arrival midway through last season.

The 23-year-old is just 12 months into a lucrative five-year deal at City but is reportedly eyeing an exit after failing to reproduce the sparkling form he showed during the 2008/09 campaign.

However, Paraguay international Santa Cruz believes Ireland still has much to offer the Premier League club, despite the expected influx of new players this summer.

"He is a very nice guy and a fantastic player also, so I think everybody at the club would be very disappointed to see him leaving. He is a great talent,'' said Santa Cruz.

"This season has been hard for him, not finding a starting place in the team, but it is always going to be hard when you are at a team that is always getting new players who start all the time. It is very hard for everyone.''

Meanwhile, City midfielder Nigel de Jong has urged the club to sign his international team-mate, Ajax's Gregory van der Wiel.

"I know that Greg is on our wanted list at Manchester City," De Jong told the Daily Star. "I have pleaded with them to sign him, as we could use a good right back. The tempo of English football will make him stronger still and I've recommended him to City's management."

Man City and Spurs in race to sign Dzeko

Edin Dzeko has the choice between playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League or a pot of cash with Manchester City

City and Spurs have both opened talks to land Dzeko, and while new Wolfsburg boss Steve McClaren has stated he wants to keep hold of the striker it seems certain he will move on.

Roberto Mancini has set his sights on Dzeko after it became apparent that Fernando Torres would go to Chelsea, rather than City, if he was sold by Liverpool this summer.

Dzeko has been in prolific form for his club since joining from Czech side Teplice in 2007, and the 24-year-old's record of 54 goals in 94 games for his club has persuaded Mancini to make him his new top target.

The player, though, has the option of going to Spurs with a tantalising place in the Champions League the big carrot that Harry Redknapp can now dangle before his transfer targets.

Bellamy Back in Favour

Craig Bellamy is back in the good books of Wales manager John Toshack and that's good news for the papers, even if they might be reluctant to admit it.

Bellers gets plenty of stick in the media - Mirror columnist Oliver Holt apart - but he's a proper character they can write about. Even his choice of golf club can be a talking point.

So his recall after a three-match absence for the Welsh squad to tackle Croatia in a friendly this month holds the promise of lively copy from the outspoken patriot of a striker.

The Mail reports it: "Craig Bellamy appears to have patched up his differences with Wales boss John Toshack after being named in the squad to face Croatia a week on Sunday."

Both men can be stubborn and opiniated, and the Mirror calls it "a surprise inclusion" while declaring that Tosh wants Craig "to spearhead Wales' attempt to qualify for Euro 2012".

They explain: "Bellamy’s international future was the subject of speculation after he was axed for the friendly loss to Sweden in March. The 30-year-old had been fit but not recalled after missing the previous two fixtures due to injury.

"Bellamy is due to visit his charitable foundation in Sierra Leone next week, and he was not expected to feature against Croatia on May 23. But a statement from the FAW said Bellamy’s trip to Africa had been delayed “a few days”, allowing him to join up with the squad.

"Bellamy, who has scored 17 goals in 58 appearances for Wales, is vital to the country’s hopes of progressing from a European qualifying group that includes England, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Montenegro."

Elsewhere, with the FA Cup Final almost upon us, the Independent's Brian Viner delivers a fine piece on one of Wembley's greatest heroes. It opens: "Even if Michael Ballack should score a hat-trick tomorrow, his name will never be as synonymous with English football's end-of-season showpiece as that of another German, Bert Trautmann."

His warts-and-all angle on the legendary City keeper, headlined "In a league of his own", has been covered pretty well recently by the Express and the Observer, but Viner is a fine writer and it's a good read.

Mancini closes in on Boateng

Manchester City are close to completing the £11 million signing of Hamburg defender Jerome Boateng.

The transfer has been mooted from German sources for weeks, but this is the first time anyone from City has confirmed that Boateng will be heading to the Premier League this summer.

Coach Roberto Mancini, who also admitted the club will struggle to attract top names after failing to qualify for the Champions League, is hopeful of sealing a deal for the 21-year-old by the end of the week.

"We are quite close to signing him,'' Mancini told the Manchester Evening News. "Boateng is a good player, a young player and strong.

"He plays for the national team and there is a good chance to get him. He can play three different positions; central defence, right full-back or in midfield. If we find a player like that it is better for us.''

But Mancini will hold out much hope of signing players like Fernando Torres.

Torres has been linked with a number of sides in recent weeks but Liverpool insist the striker will not be sold and, with Carlo Ancelotti ruling Chelsea out of the race for his signature, it is believed City are the only side to be showing serious interest at this stage.

Mancini has already confirmed that City plan to bid for Torres but, having missed out on the Champions League, he acknowledges that most of the world's best players will not be eager to move to Eastlands.

"Can we attract the top, top players, like Torres? I don't know, but I don't think so," he said in the Sun. "If we finished in the top four, it would be better and easier to attract them.

"In this situation it is different. There are probably some players who want to play in the Champions League and not in the Europa League, but there are a lot of players in Europe who will want to play for Manchester City next year.

"We won't be playing in the Champions League but we must try to win the other competitions and finish in the top four in the Premier League."

Tevez is committed to Man City, says Mancini

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini claims Carlos Tevez has committed his future to the club.

Tevez is said to have told Mancini in a midweek meeting that he wanted to stay at City, despite the club missing out on a place in next season's Champions League.

Tevez had been heavily tipped to quit Eastlands this summer after reportedly becoming disenchanted with life under Mancini. But Mancini insists the former West Ham and Manchester United forward is keen to stay and help the Blues become a major top-flight force.

"I have spoken with Carlos and asked him whether he was happy to stay here,'' revealed Mancini. "He said he was very happy, that he wanted to improve and wanted to win with Manchester City. This is important.

"Carlos is a top player. He can set the example for the others.''

Tevez collected City's Player of the Year award on Thursday night, a fitting accolade after his stellar first season following such a controversial move from United.

The pair first clashed over Tevez being back home following the premature birth of his child. And recent complaints about Mancini's preference for double training sessions were the a sign of a rift between manager and player, which the Italian is happy to quash.

"I have told him that in any week where we don't have a midweek match on one day we must have two training sessions,'' he said. "Because we have qualified for the Europa League, the chances are we will be playing nearly every Thursday and Sunday. But if we want to improve we must work harder than this year.''

Ireland admits he could leave Manchester City

Stephen Ireland has admitted there is a major question mark over his Manchester City future.

Ireland has struggled this year, starting only 16 Premier League games with a further six appearances from the bench.

Injury, illness and loss of form have combined to see a virtual ever-present from last season reduced to spending much of the campaign on the bench.

With a major review of playing staff certain to follow the failure to secure a Champions League berth next season, Ireland knows he could be one of the players who faces the axe.

"There is a question mark over next year for me,'' he told the Manchester Evening News. "I don't know what will happen. I am contracted to City and all I can do is carry on doing my job and performing well when I am called upon.

"If anything changes during the summer it will be down to the club, not me. It has been a difficult year because I care so much about my job.

"I care about my game and about the club but there is a lot of frustration bottled up because I have not played as much as I would have liked.''

Cristiano Ronaldo can’t get Paris Hilton off his mind

Make no mistake, Paris Hilton still has it and never lost it. So much so, that Cristiano Ronaldo can’t forget about her — well after his link-up with Kim Kardashian.

While Hilton was making a pit stop in Madrid prior to the Cannes Film Festival, Ronaldo was attempting to meet up with her.

The two have previously dated.

“He texted her when he found out she was there, but she only had a few hours because she was in back-to-back meetings,” an insider tells E!, “So they didn’t end up meeting up.”

But apparently the twosome are expected to rendez-vous. One guess is the World Cup in South Africa in June.

Salman genuinely believed I'd achieve success: Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif, who usually remains tight-lipped about her relationship with actor Salman Khan, says the star always guided her and genuinely believed she would join the big league in Bollywood one day.

'Salman had been always there, more than anything to guide because I didn't know anything about the industry. What would remain special in my mind is that from the very beginning Salman told me that I will achieve this success in the industry. And at that point it was too far off,' Katrina told IANS in an interview.

'That time I couldn't see myself one movie ahead, forget 15 movies ahead. I think that he believed it genuinely,' the 25-year-old actor said.

She entered Bollywood in 2003 with the dud 'Boom'. Her first big hit was 2005 romantic comedy 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya' in which she teamed up with Salman. After that she gave a string of hits, including 'Namastey London', 'Partner', 'Welcome', 'Singh Is Kinng' and critically acclaimed 'New York'.

But Katrina feels nobody can plan success.

'It's (success) destiny, no one can plan it. There are many people who are connected with the industry because of their father, mother or other family members; still they are not able to achieve what is termed as success in the industry.

'You can come here, make two or three films, your co-stars could be your friends - all this you can plan but you can't plan which film would be successful. The miracle that happened with my life has been the success of my films. Because, had those films not been successful, no one would have done anything for me,' said Katrina.

She is now eager to take more responsibilities and do more diverse roles like the one she is doing in Prakash Jha's 'Raajneeti', where she plays a politician.

'Till now I have done a genre of films. People have accepted me, loved me and have given me so much support. I never imagined getting so much. But I feel that there are other types of films to do. See other contemporary actors, they have done much more diverse roles.

'People can say that the success ratio of my films has been very, very good, but I still feel people should see me on other kinds of films too...

'May be something like a remake of 'Sita Aur Gita'...In 'Raajneeti', I have more responsibility. But you will have to remember that there I am with six very important guys, all have very important roles,' said Katrina.

The actress maintains she always wanted to do something unusual in life.

'I always used to make a world in my head and live in that. I always wanted to be something unusual. Some of the dreams I remember, they may sound stupid - I wanted to be a firefighter, I wanted to be a stunt woman, I wanted to got to NASA. Acting was something to fancy,' said Katrina.

Shahrukh: No, I don't speak with Salman

For those of you who thought that the animosity between Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan has cooled off, here's the update for you.

Now, SRK has admitted that he does not speak to Salman and is yet to sort out his differences with the actor. It must be recalled that the friendship between the two went sour after an open brawl that had the whole media its spectator.

Though, SRK feels that Salman's family have been his well wishers all through his career, but his differences with the brawny star continues despite this fact.

The two don't see eye to eye leave talking to each other. Talk about his equation with Sallu at the moment, SRK says, "No, I don't speak with Salman."

Salman Khan, Shoaib Akhtar to play charity T20 match in Dubai

More than 40 celebrities from India and Pakistan, including actor Salman Khan and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, are set to play a friendly Twenty20 match in Dubai later this month.

The match to be played at Dubai Sports City's cricket stadium on May 27 will help raise awareness about 'Being Human', a charity organisation run in India by Salman's family.

Besides the Khan troika of Salman, Arbaaz and Sohail, the Indian team will include Sharman Joshi and Sonu Sood.

Pakistani actor Javed Sheikh will lead the team from the neighbouring country, comprising Akhtar, fashion designer Hassan Shehryar and singer Fakhre Alam.

The match will be followed by a gala dinner next day, actors Sohail Khan and Sheikh said at a press conference yesterday.

Toure: City squad is strong enough

Manchester City captain Kolo Toure has rejected the idea that his club need a major overhaul of players this summer, after missing out on the coveted fourth place.

City were linked with a bid for Fernando Torres last month but, given the clubs' lack of Champions League football next season, they may find it difficult to land the calibre of players they crave.

But Toure believes their squad is strong enough as it is. He said: "We have a good squad," he insisted. "It doesn't matter if we bring players in or not. It's true we made a few mistakes this season. We lost a lot of points, at home especially."

Manchester City drew seven consecutive games in October and November last year, meaning they took only seven points from a possible 21 and Toure said: "We had too many draws and it cost us because we could have been fighting for the Premier League."

"We must not make mistakes like drawing against teams we expect to beat because that can make a big difference. We just need to make a little adjustment and keep our focus the whole season."

Manchester City are expected to offer Brazilian full-back Sylvinho a one-year extension on his current contract. The 36-year-old made 15 appearances for City last season, mainly as cover for Wayne Bridge.

Manager Roberto Mancini said: "Sylvinho is a fantastic man and player who always works very well. He is important for us."

Johnson like Giggs

Manchester City winger Adam Johnson has been compared to Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs by England's assistant manager Stuart Pearce.

Johnson has been included in Fabio Capello's 30-man World Cup squad, but has not made his senior debut, despite impressing since his £8 million move from Middlesbrough. However, Pearce says the 22-year-old is ready for the big stage and compared his dribbling skills to those of Wales veteran Giggs.

"He [Johnson] is probably a Ryan Giggs of his time. You watch him running at people, jinking in and out,'' Pearce told the Daily Mirror. "I saw some footage of the West Ham game and he was unfortunate not to get a penalty when he went past three players. It reminded me of Ryan Giggs 20 years ago when he first started the game. He has something unique about him. Johnno is not the completed article but he is an improving player and that is a fantastic thing to be.

"Is he ready? If you cast your memory back 20 years to Paul Gascoigne, who knew whether he was ready or not? The one thing Paul had in those days was a manager that believed in him. Now all the players that have got the opportunity know full well that Fabio has done his homework on them and if he believes in you, gives you a shirt and picks you for England, that in itself would be a fantastic lift for any player.

"At the back end of this season Johnson has shown that he has got a maturity in his play. But maybe a year ago in his own mind it was pick the ball up and run directly at opponents, but now I see a more all-round player. I see a more mature player.

"That is maybe down to maturity as an individual, and the coaching he has been getting at Manchester City has helped him as well. I am seeing a more complete player now.

"For what he did for me for two years with the Under-21s and his club form he deserves to be in the 30. It is up to Johnno over the next two weeks to push Fabio in the right direction and make sure he is in the 23.

"Johnno was with me last summer at the European Championship, and the two years prior to that, and I know he is a fantastic lad. He has hit form at the right time. The move to Manchester City has done him the world of good."