Sven linked with triple swoop

Chris Bailey
1/ 8/2007

CITY are poised to pip Premiership rivals to another Eastern European star in Vedran Corluka, while the Blues are closing in on Real Sociedad defender Javi Garrido.

Just a week after persuading Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov to head north and not south to Spurs, Sven-Goran Eriksson is ready to pay around £4m for Croatian international defender Corluka and is confident he can land his man.

Meanwhile, Real Sociedad boss Chris Coleman has revealed the Blues have an interest in their 22-year-old left-sided full-back and are close to concluding a £2m deal.

Coleman told Sky Sports: "He (Garrido) is a good player, but Manchester City has an interest in him and it is the decision of the player to go to England.

"I have explained to him that I do not want to sell him, but the financial situation is what it is.

"We do not want to lose him but it is his decision. Both clubs have an understanding over money." 

Meanwhile, 21-year Corluka, who has also been tracked by Tottenham, Everton and West Ham United, as a central defender of the future who would be in direct competition with homegrown youngsters Micah Richards and Nedum Onuoha for the two slots either side of skipper Richard Dunne.

Corluka has already been capped nine times for his country, including the 2-0 qualifying victory over England in the Maksimir Stadium last October on the infamous night when luckless Three Lions keeper Paul Robinson was undone by a stray Zagreb divot.

Although a full-back who also plays in the middle, Corluka is also happy as a wing-back adding versatility, height and youth to the Blues’ squad but the 21-year-old’s move from Dinamo Zagreb will be subject to him getting a work permit.

Arrival

His arrival would surely mean the exit of end of the line for the two Mills in the City squad, Danny and Matt who figured in Charleroi but may now be find themselves part of Eriksson’s clear-out – either before the end of the month or in the next window in January.

Corluka began in Dinamo’s youth teams when he was just eight-years-old and had been at the club for almost a decade when he turned professional.

He went on loan to lower league Inter Zapresic to toughen up before rejoining Dinamo Zagreb in 2005.

Since then he helped the club to back to back league titles and made his mark on the international scene beginning twelve months ago against Italy in Livorno - a game Croatia also won 2-0.

At 6’ 3“ one of his strengths is at set pieces and he has chipped in with three or four goals per season for Zagreb.

He is not expected to be the last new face arriving this week after Eriksson and his back room staff shut themselves away to work around the clock of strengthening before the season kicks off in ten days time.

Meanwhile, reports in Italy claim City have agreed a £5.7million deal with Fiorentina to sign Bulgaria striker Valeri Bojinov.

Bojinov, 21, has endured a difficult time in Florence since joining from Lecce - with whom he made his Serie A debut at the age of 16 - in 2005 for £10million.

As soon as Luca Toni arrived later that year he struggled for regular first-team football.

He spent last season on loan with Juventus in Serie B but was not offered a full-time contract by the Bianconeri this summer after making only a handful of appearances.

“I hope I never have to come back to Fiorentina again,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport before flying home to Bulgaria with his agent at the weekend

“England would be a perfect solution.”