Mancini tight-lipped on Van Persie transfer

City will come up against their Premier League rivals in a pre-season encounter in China, sparking speculation that a deal could be arranged ahead of the fixture.

Van Persie has signalled his intention not to sign a new contract with Arsenal, with Juventus and Manchester United both showing an interest in the 28-year-old.

Mancini, however, has refused to comment on speculation surrounding the Dutchman ahead of Friday’s meeting with the Gunners.

"It is difficult to say this at this moment because he is an Arsenal player and he is not our player," the Italian said at a press conference in Beijing.

"We know that Van Persie is a fantastic striker, but we have four strikers and with these strikers we won the championship last year.

"But still, Van Persie is a top player. We can say different things about this - but he is an Arsenal player."

Reports suggest that City officials have blocked Mancini's attempts to sign the Arsenal captain, but he insisted he is not in charge of transfers at the club.

"For this question, you need to talk to the man in charge. I am not in charge of these things," Mancini said when quizzed on the club’s lack of progress in the transfer window.

"We have a man that works for this and... I think that we are hoping that they can do a good job."

Nick Moore

Nick Moore is a freelance journalist based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He wrote his first FourFourTwo feature in 2001 about Gerard Houllier's cup-treble-winning Liverpool side, and has continued to ink his witty words for the mag ever since. Nick has produced FFT's 'Ask A Silly Question' interview for 16 years, once getting Peter Crouch to confess that he dreams about being a dwarf.