• Mancini sets sights on matching Barcelona and Real Madrid
• Manager sure Tevez and Balotelli will stay with champions
Roberto Mancini hopes he will be allowed to spend big this summer so that Manchester City can rival Barcelona and Real Madrid.
City have spent heavily since their takeover by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan in 2008 and saw that investment come to fruition at the weekend when the side sealed their first league title since 1968.
The chairman, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, has said there is now no need to spend the lavish sums of previous summers because the squad is strong, but Mancini still wants more top names. He told BBC Sport: "Barcelona and Real Madrid every year buy two or three players and spend a lot of money. I think for Manchester City it will be the same.
"We need to improve. We need to have the strength to play Champions League and Premier League."
Mancini will also focus on the current squad, with speculation still surrounding the controversial figures of Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli.
Tevez was widely expected to leave in the summer after failing in his attempts to engineer a move during the January transfer window. Yet after returning to the club following his infamous self-imposed exile to play a key role in the run-in, the 28-year-old has said he wants to stay.
"It's not difficult to manage Tevez," said Mancini. "He's a good guy. We had a good relationship always. I don't know why we had that situation in September but in the end he's a good guy and a fantastic player."
Mancini also wants to keep Balotelli despite the Italian striker creating headlines for misdemeanours on and off the field during the season. The manager said he would "probably" try to sell his compatriot after his sending-off at Arsenal last month, but the pair are now reconciled.
Mancini told Gazzetta dello Sport: "Mario has been very clear and I reiterate: Balotelli will remain at Manchester 101%. I am confident he will have a great European Championship.
"I hope Mario will be the leader of the national team because he is the best Italian striker. He just needs to make his brain work. That is his only problem."
It has been reported that Mancini will be rewarded for overseeing City's first league win in 44 years with a new contract, but he says the situation has not yet been discussed. The 47-year-old, who took charge at the Etihad Stadium in December 2009, said: "He [Sheikh Mansour] sent me a message of congratulations, he was happy. We haven't spoken about a new contract but I am very happy to work here. The basis is here to start a cycle."- Read More
انسخ الكود التالى و ضعه فى موقعك او مدونتك.
