The Barclays Premier League's big spenders have remained surprisingly quiet while rivals?Manchester United have lined up deals worth almost ?50m for Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David De Gea.
Battle of Manchester: Both City and United want Udinese and Chile winger Alexis Sanchez
Vital Statistics...Name: Alexis Sanchez
Born: December 19, 1988
Birthplace: Tocopilla, Chile
Height: 5ft 6in
36 Caps for Chile
53 Total career goals for club and country
2 Chilean league titles with Colo-Colo in 2006 and 2007
2 trophies with Argentinian side River Plate in 2008 league and cup
3rd place in FIFA U20World Cup in 2007
United have also been linked with Sanchez, but City raised their offer for the Chile winger, 22, on Friday and chief executive Garry Cook and football administrator Brian Marwood flew to Italy over the weekend in the hope of capturing their long-time target.
City bid ?21m for Sanchez in March but Udinese value one of the most exciting talents in Serie A at ?30m. However, club president Giampaolo Pozzo, whose son Gino is heading the negotiations, said City are favourites to sign him ahead of Barcelona, Inter Milan and Juventus.
'If Sanchez were to leave I would give City the highest percentage to sign him because English football is rich and it knows how to value young talent,' said Pozzo. 'Inter, Juventus, Barca and City are all after Sanchez but no concrete offers reflecting the value of the player have arrived.
Target: Sanchez is wanted by Barcelona and top Italian sides as well as City
So, who is Alexis Sanchez?? He's the 22-year-old Chile star who has caught the eye of scouts across Europe this season particularly in the blue half of Manchester.? He plays as a winger-cum-forward for Italian club Udinese.
Is he worth all the cash?
The Italians have been raving about his skills and dribbling ability all season, and have compared him to a young Cristiano Ronaldo. Last season he scored four goals in a 7-0 victory against Palermo.
Which position suits him best?
Hard to say. He started out as a traditional right winger, but his manager, Francesco Guidolin, has tinkered with his position to great effect. He has regularly been used in the middle, playing off a striker. For City, Sanchez could be used in several attacking positions.
What's his story?
He was born in the city of Tocopilla in Chile and started at local team Cobreloa before being snapped up by Udinese as a 17-year-old. However, before he was ready for European football, he enjoyed two productive loan spells with Colo-Colo in his homeland and Argentinian giants River Plate. He has represented Chile 36 times and scored 12 goals. He was an integral part of the exciting team which reached the last 16 at last summer's World Cup before losing to Brazil.
Will he replace Carlos Tevez at City?
No. He isn't a natural striker and is not yet a prolific goalscorer. Last season was his best in front of goal, with 12 in 31 games in Serie A. So do not expect Sanchez to be leading the line if he signs? for City.
'I've already spoken with Alexis and his agent and I think they will understand I can't give him away.'
City face a battle to persuade Sanchez to move to England with the Spanish-speaking player said to favour Barcelona. The European champions looked set to sign him last month but also fell well short of Udinese's asking price despite suggestions Bojanand Thiago Alcantara could be part of the deal.
Barca's transfer budget is limited to ?40m and they are reluctant to spend such a large portion of it on Sanchez when Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas and Villarreal's former United striker Giuseppe Rossi remain top targets.
Inter and Juve joined the bidding for Sanchez, who moved to Udinese from Chilean side Club de Deportes Cobreloa for ?2m in 2006. But the Serie A rivals were put off by Udinese's tough negotiating stance and that brought City back to the table after Cook and Marwood had watched Sanchez towards the end of the season.
They have raised their bid significantly and are considering the option of a player-plus-cash deal, with Slovakia winger Vladimir Weiss mentioned as a possible makeweight.
City are well aware, however, they could yet face competition from United. Sir Alex Ferguson hijacked Jones's move from Blackburn to Liverpool last week and Sanchez is believed to favour Old Trafford to Eastlands if he was to move to England. There are even suggestions in Spain Ferguson has already spoken to Sanchez.
After three years of heavy spending, City sources claim they plan to make only two big signings this summer. There has been some disagreement between manager Roberto Mancini and his bosses over the club's transfer plans, but it is thought the number of players arriving will depend on City's ability to off-load the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Craig Bellamy, Shay Given, Roque Santa Cruz and Wayne Bridge.
What a bargain: The winger joined Udinese from Chilean side Club de Deportes Cobreloa for ?2m in 2006
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?Explore more:People: Alex Ferguson, Craig Bellamy, Shay Given, Ashley Young, Wayne Bridge, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Tevez, Roberto Mancini, Emmanuel Adebayor Places: Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester, Chile, Italy, United Kingdom, Brazil, Europe
Source: Daily Mail
Source: Daily Mail