Mancini wants Kolarov to stay

Aleksandar Kolarov may have joined City in a huge £19m transfer back in 2010, yet that still hasn’t guaranteed him first team football at the Etihad Stadium over recent months. In fact, there have been intense rumours linking Kolarov with a move away from City, although Roberto Mancini has now stepped in and claimed that the Serbian is definitely in his plans.

Kolarov impressed during his first season at City in 2010/11, managing to make a total of thirty nine appearances. However, Mancini opted to evoke competition in the left back position last summer, after recruiting Gael Clichy from rivals Arsenal. While Kolarov did manage to stave the threat of Clichy at first, it didn’t take long before he lost his place in the team and was permanently the second choice for the left back spot. In the end, Kolarov struggled for starts and he has gone on the record to claim that he is looking for a new club to boost his first team opportunities.

However, Roberto Mancini obviously has other plans for the 26-year-old. The Italian says that while there are other clubs interested in him, he is desperate to keep Kolarov at the Etihad Stadium. He said, “Kolarov? He is a great left-back and I would like to keep him. We have very good players and there are many clubs interested in them, which means that we have done our jobs well, we know his value well and we want to keep him.”

Of course, should City receive an offer of substantial value, they may be tempted to sell. While the club may possess some of the best financial clout in the world, Mancini knows that he has to start balancing the books in order to satisfy the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations that are due to be implemented.