MANCHESTER City say they may miss out Santa Cruz but are back in the race to sign �35m-rated Valencia striker David Villa. (The Independent)Other reports say that big-spending side are trailing Real Madrid misfit Arjen Robben.

MANCHESTER City say they may miss out Santa Cruz but are back in the race to sign �35m-rated Valencia striker David Villa. (The Independent)

Other reports say that big-spending side are trailing Real Madrid misfit Arjen Robben. (Daily Mirror)

Real Madrid are ready to offload the former Chelsea winger who does not feature in the plans of presidential favourite Florentino Perez.

City and Inter Milan have asked to be kept informed with Real Madrid demanding around �18million for the Dutch World Cup star.

But City is a more likely option for Robben who had a difficult relationship with Inter boss Jose Mourinho during their time at Chelsea.

Robben, a one-time target for Manchester United, joined Real Madrid for �24m two years ago but has had a patchy time in Spain.

Real Madrid's main summer transfer target is Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo and they are already preparing to offload Robben's fellow Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart.

They want to clear the decks and raise finance for another big-money move for Ronaldo, having missed out last summer.

City will spend big again this summer and their Abu Dhabi owners will hope to make a huge impact in the transfer market.

Robben, 25, won the Premier League title with Chelsea and, despite being injury-prone, appeals to City who are desperate for top signings.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro has revealed that he rejected an offer to move to Manchester City. (The Guardian)