Mancini denies Kolarov exit talk; Newcastle chasing Poland full-back

Mancini denies Kolarov exit talk

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is adamant Aleksandar Kolarov has a role to play at Etihad Stadium.

The Serbian defender was vying with Gael Clichy for the left-back position last season, but it was former Arsenal defender who was preferred in all the big games.

Kolarov subsequently expressed his desire to leave the Citizens in search of first team football, with a number of Europe’s top clubs showing interest in his services.

However, Roberto Mancini has now decided to put his foot down and explained he would like to keep hold of the Serbian full-back.

“Kolarov? He is a great left-back and I would like to keep him,” Mancini told Sky Sport Italia.

The 26-year-old joined Manchester City in a €23 million deal from Lazio in July 2010 and has enjoyed a bright start to his career at Eastlands.

Despite not being considered a first team regular, Kolarov has already scored 7 competitive goals for the Citizens.

Newcastle chasing Poland full-back

Newcastle have joined the race to sign defender Sebastian Boenisch, according to Bild.

The Polish international was released from his contract by Werder Bremen at the end of last season and he is currently searching for a new club.

The 25-year-old was widely expected to sign for Stuttgart, but it appears that Swabians have pulled out of the race following the player’s disappointing showings at the European Championship.

However, German newspaper Bild claims Newcastle have shown interest in the full-back and are ready to make an official offer.

The Magpies already have an excellent left-back in Davide Santon, but the club chiefs are unsure whether they will be able to hold on to him after he largely impressed in last year’s Premier League campaign.

Sebastian Boenisch has endured a very difficult time at Werder over the last couple of years, having featured in just 5 Bundesliga games over the last two seasons.

Gilardino set for Genoa stay

Experienced striker Alberto Gilardino has added cold water to speculations linking him with a summer exit from Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

The highly rated forward joined Genoa for a fee of €8 million in January, but was linked with several Italian clubs following a largely disappointing start to his career with the Rossoblu.

Media reports recently suggested Gilardino was set for a move to Monaco, but the player denies such speculation.

“There is nothing with Monaco and even less with the other clubs being paired with me,” the centre-forward told Il Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I signed a four-year contract with Genoa, but I need to understand what their intentions are for me.”

Genoa general manager Pietro Lo Monaco has made it clear that Gilardino will not be leaving this summer.

“Offers for Gilardino could arrive and we would evaluate them if necessary,” Lo Monaco told Il Secolo XIX.

“But when a striker has a bad season, they are usually devastating in the following campaign. Therefore…”

Gilardino has scored just 4 goals in 14 appearances for the Rossoblu, but that was only his second of the last nine seasons in which he failed to score more than 10 league goals.

For more news about football transfers and rumours, visit our Transfer News section. To view all football transfers for 2012/13 season, visit our Soccer Transfers section.