Samuel Eto'o given 24 hour deadline to sign for Manchester City

Manchester City have given Samuel Eto'o 24 hours to sign for them - or miss out on becoming the best-paid player in English football.

The Blues have waited nearly two weeks on a 'yes' from the Barcelona striker and have now warned him they will move on to other targets. Eto'o is playing a stubborn game with Barca and even refuses to answer president Joan Laporta's calls over his demand for a chunk of the £25million fee.

Impatient City believe their offer to Eto'o of more than £200,000 a week is good enough to tempt him to join.

City were happy for Eto'o and his lawyer to look for their cut of the sale from Barca, but are now worried the Cameroon star is just using them to tempt another club.

Mirror Sport can reveal that Eto'o has told friends he would rather join Chelsea if they moved in for him - but that is unlikely given the fee and his wages.

Eto'o is in a strong position as his contract has only a year to run before he becomes a free agent and he knows Barca want the money for him to fund their own deals. But City could change all that by withdrawing the offer. Their Arab owners want to present Eto'o next week and have him on their tour of South Africa.

Eto'o is seen as a major capture by City's image-conscious owners but they do not intend to be messed around by him much longer.

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