Man City’s Mancini urges Abu Dhabi to splash cash

The manager of newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester City is in Abu Dhabi to discuss the club's spending plans for next season. According to the UK’s The Guardian newspaper, Roberto Mancini is currently in the UAE capital to talk over his summer transfer strategy and negotiate a new contract. English side City, who pipped rivals Manchester United to the title this week, are owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, an investment fund controlled by royal Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan. Mancini is hoping to convince the club’s owners to spend big in the close season in preparation for defending their status as Premier League champions and competing in the European Champions League, the continent’s top club football competition. "Barcelona and Real Madrid every year buy two or three players and spend a lot of money. I think for Manchester City it will be the same,” Mancini was quoted as saying. “We need to improve. We need to have the strength to play Champions League and Premier League." His comments came despite club chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak this week insisting that the team did not require heavy investment in new players. Among those expected to be on Mancini’s radar are Belgian forward Eden Hazard, currently playing for French club Lille, who would be expected to fetch up to US$48m if sold. In terms of the current squad, Mancini claimed he was eager to hang on to strikers Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli, who both courted major controversy over their on and off-field antics during the previous season.