Hughes Heading For Eastlands Exit As City Move For Mancini?

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Former Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini is believed to have held talks with Manchester City after reports in England and Italy claim the Italian has met with officials from the Premier League club.

44-year-old Mancini, who finished his playing career with Leicester City in 2001 is in line to take over from City manager Mark Hughes at the Eastlands Stadium and has allegedly been spotted in a restaurant near his Umbrian home meeting with representatives from City. City’s owners the ADUG want Mancini, who was replaced at the Nerazzurri by Jose Mourinho after winning three consecutive Serie A titles at Inter to bring an international pedigree to the Premier League side.

After a disastrous sequence of results that sees City just two-points off the drop-zone and knocked out of the FA Cup last week 3-0 by Championship club Nottingham Forest at the Eastlands. The ADUG are reportedly ready to axe Hughes and replace him with the former Italian International after just 20 league games in charge of a Blues team, which has blown more cold than hot in recent weeks.

Mancini is said to have been living in London for the past few months to learn the language, with the former Sampdoria and Lazio striker keen to work in the Premier League. The Italian was also believed to have been in the running for the jobs at Chelsea, Newcastle and West Ham United last year.

As well as the three Scudetti Mancini won with Milan in his four-years at the San Siro, he also won the Coppa Italia in 2005 and 2006, along the Supercoppa Italiana in the same seasons. With the ADUG seeing Mancini as the right man to realise their ambitions, when they took over at the Eastlands last summer and lead City into the Champions League.