The Manchester Evening News has printed an excerpt of an interview published in French Football magazine, in which the City striker makes it clear he wants to leave the club.
"I either decide to win titles or to have an easy life. I will always choose football if a great club makes an offer," he said.
"The ideal would be that City become a great club, but if that happens I will be 35 years old."
Anelka added: "My objective is to give my maximum for City in order to find a big club.
"To win titles you need players who have the capability of doing so. If we stagnate between eighth and 15th place, it's impossible to progress. If I am going to score goals and not win, there is a risk of being fed up.
"Playing for eighth place is good but I miss the Champions League. I need to be playing in it - and I should be playing in it."
A City insider told M.E.N. Sport: "If a player indicates he wants to leave a club there is very little you can do to keep him. Anelka is a prize asset but there has been no interest expressed in him so far."