Manchester City serious about Ronaldinho

British newspaper The Guardian and British tabloid The Daily Mail report that Roberto de Assís, brother and agent of Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho (28), was in Manchester on Saturday where he followed the Premier League game between Manchester City and Chelsea. Manchester City is believed to try to sign a big name in the summer (read more here).

With Manchester City president Thaksin Shinawatra preparing for a corruption trial in his home country Thailand, Roberto has been talking earlier this week with his close aides and Manchester City board members Pairoj Piempongsant and Tawesuk Jack Srisumrid, along with player's agent Pini Zahavi. It would have been the latter who convinced Shinawatra to join the race for Ronaldinho (read more here). The dialogue is believed to have been continued at a restaurant after the match. Encouraged by the initial discussions, City would be willing to offer Ronaldinho over 125 000 euro° a week.

Asked about the matter, Manchester City manager Sven-Göran Eriksson kept his cool: "I hope it's true. I would not protest against it. But I don't know if Ronaldinho wants to play in the Intertoto Cup next season."

Roberto would have been in the last few days encouraging Chelsea to also enter the bidding and held in that perspective talks with Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon and Chelsea assistant coach Henk ten Cate, the former assistant of Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard.

Asked about his travelling to Italy and England in the last week, Roberto told in an interview with Spanish football weekly paper Don Balón that this has nothing to do with an upcoming transfer of his brother: "It's my job to build and to maintain a network in the world of football, so it's normal I'm going somewhere to talk in person when I think that is necessary. Ronaldinho has a contract until 2010, so we're not really looking for something new."

Meanwhile, Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain didn't want to comment yesterday on Ronaldinho's future nor on a possible meeting with Robero in the coming days: "All we wish for at this moment is that the player recovers as soon as possible." Begiristain nevertheless denied Barcelona had already received an offer by AC Milan for the Brazilian.

pep's opinion:
Roberto had a few lost hours in England and was looking for a Saturday afternoon vip treatment