World stars snub bumper payday at Man City

Manchester City's bid for a marquee January signing is being thwarted because the world's top superstars claim the club is "not serious", so they are turning their backs on £200,000-a-week wages.

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The world's richest club urgently need an injection of top class talent to reignite a season that is in danger of falling away with a Premier League record of seven straight draws.

From a season that some felt would end with Champions League qualification, City are slipping behind. In response, the hierarchy have targeted some mouth-watering talent in the transfer window to help under pressure manager Mark Hughes.

There are some eye catching names linked to City, such as Fernando Torres, and the Manchester club would be happy to sign a cheque for £50 million for the Spanish striker. Such a bid was made in the summer and was rejected.

Not only would it be turned down again by Liverpool, but why would Torres want to join City?

Whatever the problems at Anfield, one of the world's best forwards is hardly likely to want to switch to City. And that might well be the view of other players at the summit of the game, putting the club's strategy of purchasing only the best players at risk.

As one source close to the transfer action at clubs such as City revealed; the very top players are still reluctant to move to Eastlands, and although Robinho signed for a British record £32.5 million, the suspicion remains he wanted to go to Chelsea, and on deadline day, when he moved, he thought he was going to Manchester United not City!