Mancini clears way for Given

A REMARKABLE day of transfer business, even by the modern-day standards of Manchester City, concluded last night with James Milner finally checking in from Aston Villa, Stephen Ireland going in the opposite direction in return, and Craig Bellamy dropping down a division to join Cardiff City on a season-long loan.

On the day that English football’s most powerful spenders paraded Mario Balotelli, the €27.2 million signing from Internazionale, the manager, Roberto Mancini, said he would not stand in Shay Given’s way if he wants to leave Eastlands now that Joe Hart has been established as City’s first-choice goalkeeper.

Roque Santa Cruz has also been formally removed from the 25-man squad submitted to Uefa for tomorrow’s Europa League qualifier against Timisoara, his place going to Balotelli so that the 20-year-old Italian can make his debut.

Milner’s first appearance in the most expensively assembled squad in the Premier League will come against Liverpool on Monday evening. The England international travelled to Manchester yesterday after City finally reached a compromise over the payoff for Ireland that was holding up the deal.

Ireland will receive around half of the €2.4 million he was holding out for. He was at Villa’s training ground to meet his new team-mates as the €9.7 million makeweight in a €31.4 million player-plus-cash exchange. Both players have already agreed personal terms and an official announcement will be made today, on the condition that they both pass a routine medical examination.

The signing of Milner comes after a three-month pursuit that has indirectly led to Martin O’Neill’s resignation as Villa’s manager because of his dissatisfaction about the amount of money the club’s owner, Randy Lerner, was willing to free up for new players.

Milner, Villa’s player of the year, is likely to be the final arrival of another summer of extensive incomings and outgoings at City, with Balotelli, Yaya Toure, Jerome Boateng, Aleksandar Kolarov and David Silva also being added to the squad at a total cost of €152 million.

At the same time, Mancini seems intent on phasing out the players signed by his predecessor, Mark Hughes, with Santa Cruz and Given both in line to leave before the transfer window closes on September 1st.

City are negotiating with at least two clubs about a possible move for Robinho, with Besiktas established as one of the potential buyers. Robinho, citing fatigue after the World Cup and the conclusion of the domestic Brazilian season, has been training alone in City’s gymnasium since returning from his six-month loan arrangement with Santos last week, and he, like Given, has informed the club he wants to leave.

Given, the Republic of Ireland international, confirmed as much during a brief meeting with Mancini on Monday and is a target for Hughes now the former City manager is in charge at Fulham.

The proposal is for Given to move to Craven Cottage on loan and, in turn, their goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer, would be allowed to join Arsenal, where he is wanted to replace Manuel Almunia. Other clubs, however, are interested in Given, described by Mancini last season as being among the top five goalkeepers in the world.

“I hope Shay can stay with us but I respect whatever his decision is,” Mancini said yesterday. “I hope he stays as we are involved in four competitions and we need a strong squad but we will respect it if he wants to leave, and I cannot change his decision.”

Fulham, using agents as intermediaries, have also contacted City about Santa Cruz but it is a measure of how far the Paraguayan striker’s stock has fallen on the back of an injury-wrecked first season in Manchester that, as yet, there have been no formal bids for the former Blackburn Rovers player.

As for Bellamy, he has been looking for a new club since the breakdown of his relationship with Mancini, but his move to Cardiff represents a considerable surprise given that he had the chance to join Celtic as well as several Premier League clubs.