Manchester City closing in on Daniele De Rossi

Manchester City are reported to be closing in a deal for Roma playmaker Daniele De Rossi in a move that will appease Roberto Mancini.The City boss has wanted to sign the Italian international since last summer but the club's money men are believed to have refused to stump up the cash to make the switch happen.
De Rossi then appeared to be completely off the radar in February when he signed a new contract to keep him with the Serie A side until at least 2017.However, Mancini has now reportedly got his way after complaining about a lack of transfer activity this summer from the reigning Premier League champions in comparison to many of their top rivals.He has been on at football director Brian Marwood to support him in his bid for the 28-year-old, and a deal worth just under £24m for De Rossi is said to be imminent.
The Roma vice-captain has won 78 caps for his country and played a key role for Italy as they reach the final of Euro 2012, which they lost 4-0 to Spain.Mancini has never made a secret of his admiration for the player, saying back in January: "De Rossi is a champion and would be the perfect man to improve City."

Roma offer Player Swap Arsenal's Gael Clichy

AS Roma are considering offering Montenegro international striker Mirko Vucinic to Arsenal in exchange for Gael Clichy.The French left back has been linked with an exit from Emirates Stadium recently, as his contract has just a year to run, and was rumoured to be the subject of a bid from Liverpool last week.Vucinic is unsure whether he will continue at Roma after the club's new owners looked to bring in a new era at Stadio Olimpico.The forward, at his best when cutting in from the left, is attracting a lot of interest from abroad, according to his his agent Alessandro Lucci."It's not news that two English clubs are interested in Vucinic, but it must firstly be understood whether the relationship with Roma is definitely over," said Lucci to Sky Italia."Only in that case will the alternatives be taken into consideration.

"For the moment we are only in the first phase. It's not the right moment to talk about Vucinic and other clubs.

"He feels good in Rome, he has friends and he has his home and the will to stay, but in football it happens that something can break."

Clichy is an excellent defender in one-on-one situations, tackling, and when tracking back thanks to his pace, but is prone to errors when his team employs the offside trap.

Both Roma and Liverpool clearly rate him though, and if no new deal is forthcoming at the Emirates Stadium, he may find his future elsewhere