Manchester City step up efforts to sign Maicon from Inter - report

Manchester City have stepped up their efforts to sign Inter defender Maicon, with the Italian giants holding out for a reported fee of £5.5 million.

The Premier League champions have already offered £4 million for the full-back and are still hopeful of pushing through a deal before the end of the transfer window.

Roberto Mancini, who signed Maicon when he was manager of Inter, is looking to bolster his defence and the club are willing to meet the 31-year-old’s demand for a £100,000-a-week salary.

According to Goal.com, sources at the Etihad Stadium expect the club’s pursuit of the Seleção international to run until the final day of the summer transfer window on Friday, despite claims from Mancini that he is not interested in signing the player.

Last week Maicon's agent, Roberto Calenda, said: "There is interest from Manchester City, Real Madrid and Chelsea in the player.

“There is no possibility that he goes to Milan or Juventus. He has worn the Nerazzurri shirt for six seasons and has too much respect for the fans to betray them in that manner. He could also yet remain at Inter."

Since then, Chelsea and Roberto di Matteo have acquired the services of right-back César Azpilicueta from Marseille, costing around £7 million, and Inter head coach Andrea Stramaccioni omitted Maicon from his first-team squad, which suggests Manchester is the likely destination for him. 

Maicon has made more than 170 appearances for the Giuseppe Meazza outfit since signing for them in 2006 from AS Monaco.