Man City in talks with £30m Brazil World Cup star after Milner deal stalls - Exclusive
Published 23:01 20/07/10 By David McDonnell in Philadelphia
Manchester City are in talks to sign Brazil's £30million-rated World Cup star Ramires from Benfica.
City have turned their attention to midfielder Ramires after hitting a brick wall in their pursuit of Aston Villa and England's James Milner.
Although City have not yet given up on Milner, boss Roberto Mancini is keen to sign Ramires following the 23-year-old's impressive form for Brazil in South Africa, where he featured in four of their games.
Real Madrid, Chelsea and Fiorentina have also looked at Ramires, who joined Benfica from Brazilian side Cruzeiro last summer for £5m and immediately established himself as a formidable midfield threat.
Mirror Sport understands there has been contact between Ramires' agent Giuliano Bertolucci and City, who have already done business with the £19m signing of striker Jo from CSKA Moscow.
Although Ramires has a £30m buy-out clause within his contract, City are hopeful of landing the player for a reduced fee of around £22m.
