Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has admitted that it will be difficult for him to sign Arsenal forward Robin van Persie this summer.
The Citizens have reportedly made an unsuccessful bid of £15m for the wantaway 28-year-old, whose current contract expires in 12 months.
"I don't know what will happen with van Persie," said Mancini. "Now he's an Arsenal player. They are a top team, even though they've lost some good players in the last year.
"For me they are one of the best teams in the world, so it's not easy for van Persie to leave a club like this. When you are talking about Manchester City, Manchester United and Juventus it's difficult for any player to choose between these three teams.
"But if we have a chance to take him, we will try. He is a top striker like the other strikers we have."
City overcame Arsenal 2-0 in a pre-season friendly in Beijing on Friday.
Written by
Robert Summerscales
Robert Summerscales
