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Manchester City are leading the race to sign highly-rated Cagliari defender Davide Astori, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Manchester club face competition from rivals United for the Italian defender, with Liverpool, Southampton and AC Milan all linked with moves for the defender this summer. Looking for a rival to compete against youngster Matija Nastasic, as Joleon Lescott considers his future at the club, new boss Manuel Pellegrini looks to bring in Astori this summer.
Rumours of a fee in the region of £15million being demanded by Cagliari to let go of their star defender, Manchester City look to continue their free spending this summer as they continue their search for defensive reinforcements. With an established spot in the Italian national squad, Astori is pushing for a move to the Premier League so he can prove himself against the world’s best.
The asking price has made potential suitors think again about signing Astori, as both Liverpool and Southampton ended their interest in the 26-year old this summer so they could pursue other targets this summer, with the Saints having signed Lyon defender Dejan Lovren this window, whilst the Reds are tracking Schalke defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos.
City continue their summer clear out to make room for Astori, with both Joleon Lescott and Aleksandar Kolarov both considering their future. The England international is a reported target for West Ham and former club Everton, while Kolarov has been linked with a move to Italy, with Juventus keen on him.