Manchester City in third Terry bid

(GETTY IMAGES)

Manchester City are likely to bid a third time for John Terry's services, despite the Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti, insisting that the player is not for sale, with the club confident that the soundings they took from Wayne Bridge about Terry when he arrived from Stamford Bridge still stand.

With no direct contact between City's chief executive Garry Cook and their prospective new central defender, it was Bridge's arrival at Eastlands in January which first gave City reason to believe that it was worth making an approach. Precisely what indications Bridge provided remain unclear but they were enough to prompt a bid to Chelsea which was immediately rebuffed. The London club is under new management now but there is no indication that Bridge's explanation to manager Mark Hughes as to why Terry might be prepared to meet him has changed in the past six months – nor that Ancelotti's comments on Monday have strengthened Terry's resolve to stay.

If Terry had no interest in City's approach, yesterday might have been the chance to say so and his disinclination to take it will have been a source of encouragement to City. Chelsea say Terry cannot make announcements every time a bid comes in and that his declaration in February that he would be a Chelsea player for as long as they want him still stands. City also still believe that Carlos Tevez will be their player within the next few days and will join them on their pre-season tour to South Africa, which departs a week today.

The view from Barcelona yesterday was that Samuel Eto'o is still not interested in joining City. If a Champions League contender comes calling he will leave but he appears to have nothing to lose by staying, since from January when the striker is out of contract, he can negotiate his own deal away from the club.