Real Madrid join race to sign Emmanuel Adebayor leaving Tottenham, Fulham and Monaco waiting in the wings

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini, who has sanctioned Roque Santa Cruz’s loan move to Blackburn, had been reluctant to offload Adebayor until a deal had been struck with Bosnian forward Edin Dzeko.

Dzeko’s arrival in a £27 million move from Wolfsburg last week has now paved the way for Adebayor to leave Eastlands just 18 months after his £25 million transfer from Arsenal.

Although City have yet to receive a direct approach from Real for Adebayor, senior figures at the club have been made aware of the Spanish club’s interest in a six-month loan with a view to a permanent deal for the Togolese forward.

Real manager Mourinho is a long-term admirer of the 26 year-old, having previously attempted to sign him at Chelsea, and, with Argentine Gonzalo Higuain ruled out on Wednesday for four months following back surgery, the striker will provide competition for Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

Tottenham Hotspur are also in the hunt for Adebayor and will make one more effort to persuade him to join them this month, either on a loan or permanent basis. Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is desperate to land a striker and is also considering a bid for the Ajax forward Luis Suárez.

Adebayor’s wages of £160,000 a week would be a problem and have already ended interest from Aston Villa and Liverpool this month. Although Fulham would be prepared to negotiate a permanent deal for the player, it is understood that Adebayor will not leave City for a club unable to offer him European football.

Monaco, who sold Adebayor to Arsenal for £3 million in 2006, are prepared to pay his City wages, but the French club are struggling to finance a permanent move.

City would prefer to sell, rather than loan, Adebayor, Real’s financial strength would enable the Spanish club to comfortably pay his wages before meeting City’s £16 million valuation in the summer.

Adebayor has started just two Premier League games for City this season and has not appeared in the first team since replacing Mario Balotelli as a substitute in the Europa League victory against Salzburg on Dec 1.

Earlier this month, Adebayor was involved in a training ground bust-up with team-mate Kolo Toure, which only served to push him closer to the exit door at Eastlands.

Paraguayan forward Santa Cruz is likely to head through that door before Adebayor, however, having agreed to return to Blackburn on loan until the end of the season.

Santa Cruz has rejected a loan move to Lazio in order to move back to Blackburn, who he left for City in August 2009 in a £17 million deal.

As part of Mancini’s clearing of the decks, Wayne Bridge underwent a medical at West Ham on Wednesday prior to a loan move to Upton Park, while Birmingham and Fulham are both keen to sign City’s out-of-favour England midfielder, Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Meanwhile, Mancini has warned Tottenham that Gareth Bale could become one of Europe’s most-sought after players this summer.

Although City had considered a move for the Wales midfielder in 2009, Mancini is understood to have no firm interest in Bale, but he admits that his progress this season marks him out a player who interest big clubs this summer.

Mancini said: “Last year, Bale had already proved his value, but his career had not yet taken off. Now you would need a lot of money [to sign him]. He is a very expensive player.

“What is certain is that, if Tottenham decide to put him on the market, Bale would be the strongest target in the summer.

“Perhaps he is the only player who is not a striker that can make a difference. Without him, Tottenham loses 50 per cent of their potential.”

Jose’s target men
Jose Mourinho harbours a weakness for intimidating, barrel-chested centre-forwards. Here are four ‘back-to-goal’ strikers he has nurtured:

»Gonzalo Higuain
The Argentine whom Emmanuel Adebayor is likely to replace at the Bernabeu styles himself as a “goal machine”. The 23 year-old combines immaculate technique with physical presence.

»Diego Milito
Prolific for Inter Milan, scoring two goals to seal triumph over Bayern Munich in Champions League final. With his unerring eye for goal, he was the fulcrum around whom Mourinho rebuilt Inter.

»Didier Drogba
Mercurial and maddening, yes, but lethal in the six-yard box. Mourinho knew what he was buying when Chelsea invested £24 million in the Ivorian’s services in 2004. Ninety-two goals later, the target man has handsomely repaid the faith.

»Derlei Silva
Brazilian was seldom far from Mourinho’s side during the manager’s rise through the Portuguese ranks. Remembered largely for the two strikes that captured the 2004 Champions League crown for Porto.

Oliver Brown