Mancini aims to stay at City

Mancini lost out on a Champions League place next season after the Blues lost out to Spurs in the battle for that prized top-four spot, but still believes his future lies at Eastlands.

"I have always felt confident this would be a long-term project," he said. "It is a huge job and a fantastic job because the Premier League is fantastic."

He added: "It is so different compared to Italy.

"I am sorry about that because I am Italian and I love Italian football.

"But all the stadiums in Italy are empty. This is no good for football. Here, all the stadiums are full."

Eastlands should certainly be full next term given City are set to improve even further following this term's fifth-placed finish.

The club are aiming high with their transfer targets too in James Milner and Benfica's £25million-rated defender David Luiz, who is the latest name to be linked with the Blues revolution.

Mancini also has a long-standing interest in Germany international Jerome Boateng, who has found himself caught in the crossfire generated by his brother, Kevin-Prince's tackle on Michael Ballack in Saturday's FA Cup final that has ruled the Germany skipper out of the World Cup.

It seems certain Boateng will eventually sign for the Eastlands outfit this summer, although City sources insist there has been no significant movement in recent days.

Source: PA

Source: PA