Hughes still keen on Eto'o

City boss remains hopeful club can still sign Barca striker

By Richard Bailey   Last updated: 1st July 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Hughes still keen on Eto'o

Eto'o: Still a target for City

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Mark Hughes has declared that Manchester City still harbour hopes of signing Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o.

The 28-year-old confirmed on Tuesday that he wanted to remain at Barca for the remainder of his present deal, which expires next summer.

The Catalan club have since offered the Cameroon international a new two-year contract but it remains to be seen whether Eto'o will sign after his agent Josep Maria Mesalles criticised the club's handling of the whole saga.

Mesalles claimed that Barca president Joan Laporta had already told him his client was free to leave the club, following City's £25million bid earlier in the week, despite scoring an incredible 36 goals last term.

City boss Hughes made it clear that he would stay out of the ongoing wrangling between Barca and Eto'o but pointed out that he had not given up hoping of signing the player.

"We have made an offer but there appears to be a situation between the player and his club that we cannot be part of," he told Sky Sports News.

"We just have to sit back and see what develops. Patience is a word that has been mentioned and we may need some of it."

It appears Hughes will also have to be patient over the mooted arrival of Carlos Tevez, with the Argentinean yet to sign on at Eastlands.

Frustration

The 25-year-old rejected the chance to prolong his stay at Old Trafford last week with many expecting the energetic forward to sign for neighbours City, despite interest from Chelsea, but as of yet the deal is yet to be completed.

"I am a huge admirer of Carlos," he added. "Everyone is aware of his situation and we are interested, as we are in all top quality players.

"We will have to see what happens but these are very early days."

However despite calling for patience over the club's transfer dealings, the City manager admitted that when deals drag on it can become frustrating.

"There is always an element of frustration when you can't conclude deals very quickly," he confirmed.

"We will give every deal and every situation the patience it deserves. If we get to a point where we feel that things aren't going to happen and we feel the process is stalling then that's the time we walk away and we have done that in the past."