Mancini eyes Real striker

Manchester City are believed to be lining up a £35m move for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain as an alternative to Robin van Persie.

City boss Roberto Mancini is desperate to land the Arsenal captain, but with the reigning Premier League champions understood to be behind Manchester United and Juventus in the race for his signature, the Italian is now assessing his other options. The Argentinian international would welcome a switch away from Real after slipping behind French targetman Karim Benzema in the Real first-team. Spurs and Tottenham have also been linked with a move for the 24-year-old this summer, who scored 26 times for Real despite only starting 28 matches out of a possible 58 for Jose Mourinho's men last term. City football administrator Brian Marwood believes Higuain would give the club better value for money than van Persie due to his age, while a deal to bring him to the Etihad Stadium would allow him to link up with compatriots Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Pablo Zabaleta.