City watch £25m striker ahead of January swoop

Manchester City are preparing to up their efforts to land Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic in the January transfer window, according to Talk SPORT.

City have been linked with a move for Jovetic for some time, and were reportedly close to getting the deal done during the summer window but failed to come to an agreement with Fiorentina.

Citizens boss Roberto Mancini reportedly tried to sign Jovetic twice over the summer and is keen on taking him to the Etihad Stadium in order to bolster his chances of guiding City to a second league crown.

According to TalkSPORT, Patrick Vieira, who works in an official capacity for Manchester City, was present to watch Jovetic during Fiorentina’s 2-1 defeat against Inter Milan over the weekend.

The Montenegro forward has started the new Serie A season well and has so far scored three goals in six league games, with Fiorentina resolute in their stance that they will not sell up.

After intense speculation over the summer the Serie A club released a statement insisting they had no intentions of selling Jovetic, although Manchester City intend on testing their resolve with a bid of up to £25 million in the January transfer window.

Jovetic is contracted with Fiorentina until 2016, something which will help strengthen the Italian club’s stance should City firm up their interest in January.