Manchester City plan £50m transfer double

Manchester City are plotting a £50 million double swoop for Samuel Eto'o and Carlos Tévez.

The prospect of playing the two strikers in tandem in a team already featuring Robinho would give City one of the most exciting forward lines in the Barclays Premier League.

Garry Cook, the chief executive, has spent several weeks putting together a package that he hopes will persuade Eto'o, the Barcelona striker, to move to the City of Manchester Stadium.

With City willing to offer a fee in the region of £25 million for Eto'o, Barcelona would prefer to cash in now rather than lose him for nothing when his contract expires at the end of next season.

Joan Laporta, the Barcelona president, appeared to hint yesterday that Eto'o could leave Spain this summer, although the Cameroon striker, 28, must decide if he is willing to forgo the Champions League for a season at least and accept the riches on offer at City.

“The football market is very dynamic and there might be a surprise because he [Eto'o] is a much-coveted player,” Laporta said.

Tévez will make a decision on his future within the next seven days after Manchester United made the Argentina striker a take-it-or-leave-it offer yesterday.

Kia Joorabchian, the businessman whose companies own the economic rights to Tévez, spent two hours in “cordial” talks at Old Trafford with David Gill, the United chief executive, who has agreed to pay the £25.5 million required to secure the player's permanent signing after accepting defeat in his efforts to drive down the price.

But if Tévez decides to leave the champions, City are ready to pounce, having informed Joorabchian that they will pay the full fee and wages of at least £135,000 a week.

Mark Hughes, the City manager, confirmed his interest in Tévez yesterday. “Carlos Tévez is a good player and when good players become available, obviously every manager is interested,” he said.

City made the first big domestic purchase of the summer transfer window on Tuesday with the signing of Gareth Barry, the England midfield player, from Aston Villa for £12 million. If their ambitious plan to recruit Eto'o and Tévez fails, they are likely to turn to Diego Forlán, the Atlético Madrid striker, and Thierry Henry, a team-mate of Eto'o.