City offer £80m package for Reds duo

Posted Sunday, May 16, 2010 by NOTW.co.uk

WANTED: Torres and Gerrard

MANCHESTER CITY have lined up Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland as bait in an £80m package for Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

City will put forward the pairing as part of a sensational deal to bring two of the best players in the Premier League to Eastlands.

Although City fear the pair will only leave Liverpool for another team in the Champions League, they are serious bidders for the world-class duo.

Adebayor has been unhappy at City for most of the season and Ireland has failed to make an impact after winning last season's player of the year award.

City are determined to make their mark in the summer transfer market and the Liverpool pairing are proven Premier League performers.

Although Chelsea remain confident of landing Torres as part of a British record transfer fee, they cannot offer players in exchange.

That is City's bargaining tool as they gear up for some summer spending which has started with two of the world's best players.

Adebayor is valued at around £30m and has four years left on a staggering contract worth £150,000 a week.

Ireland is worth around £10m following a disappointing season at City and is pulling in just short of £4m a year.

Although City's bid for the Liverpool pair is ambitious, they believe they are putting forward a solution to the Kop's financial problems.

They are willing to strike a deal for around £40m cash, plus two players with proven pedigree to assist Liverpool's rebuilding project.

City's other stellar target is Cesc Fabregas, but his advisors have made it clear that he is only prepared to leave Arsenal for Barcelona.

Instead, City are putting together a package they believe could yet tempt the two stars to leave Merseyside.

Adebayor scored 14 times in 26 appearances for City last season, but has rarely looked happy at the club.

Ireland has been making noises all season about his future at City and will quit the club this summer.