City hopes high for Hughes unveiling

Hughes is poised to become Manchester City's new manager after the club agreed a compensation package with Blackburn (GETTY IMAGES)

Manchester City, who opened talks with Mark Hughes in London last night, remain highly optimistic that they can unveil him as manager tomorrow, despite the receding chances of Milan's Carlo Ancelotti joining Chelsea, which creates the chance of the London side gazumping them.

At the end of a day of high tension for City, in which the hierarchy is known to have closely followed developments at Stamford Bridge, the club felt their chances of securing Hughes were well above 80 per cent after talks got underway and those privy to discussions with Hughes found him surprisingly undistracted by the prospect of Chelsea offering him a job.

Since Chelsea sources suggested early yesterday, long before Ancelotti appeared to rebuff them, that Hughes and an unnamed foreign manager were their top two candidates, the fallback options remain of significance. Reports from Turkey last night suggested a deal with Zico might be on the cards; Roberto Mancini is seen as a more realistic second choice.

But City were not even discussing second choices last night, despite the physical risks posed by their prospective manager spending the night in London. Hughes, free to talk to City and their new executive chairman Garry Cook after a £5m compensation deal was agreed with Blackburn Rovers yesterday, has given the strong impression that he believes City to represent a challenge in themselves, rather than a stepping stone to a Chelsea or Manchester United.

Whether the former Manchester United player, a boyhood Chelsea fan and former legend at Stamford Bridge, might place Roman Abramovich's side above Thaksin Shinawatra's remains to be seen. The threat of such an outcome was certainly what prompted Cook to fly in from his previous base in the US yesterday intent on wrapping things up within 48 hours.

The only certainty is that Hughes is leaving Blackburn,with Paul Ince emerging as a prime candidate to replace his former Manchester United team-mate last night and possibly a more likely successor to Hughes than Sam Allardyce, who has abandoned a family holiday in Spain to put himself in the frame.

City have been at pains to point out that they are seeking to install a manager earlier in the close season than they delivered Sven Goran Eriksson on 7 July last year. What now remains unclear is whether they are prepared to accept any indecision from Hughes – or proceed straight to their alternative options later this week.

The predicament City find themselves in may raise a justifiable wry smile from Eriksson – who last night agreed a deal that will make him Mexico's national coach.

If Hughes is lost to City, Mancini would appear to be the back-up option. His 17-year-old son, Filippo has been in City's academy since January and both Mackintosh and the club are well known to him.

With Portugal's coach Luiz Felipe Scolari well out of the picture, the manager Thaksin would consider the next best option is Avram Grant – though there are serious questions at City about how able he is to begin coaching in Britain once again, so soon after what he has experienced at Chelsea.

Little did Hughes imagine when he slipped out of the running for the Newcastle United job last season the kind of dilemma which was awaiting him, post season. He is understood to have made it quite clear that he wishes to bring David Bentley with him from Bentley, though not Roque Santa Cruz, as has been suggested.

In the plus column is the near certainty that CSKA Moscow's £18m Brazilian forward Jo will be signing on for next season. The even more extraordinary prospect for a manager well accustomed to moulding talents on a low budget is Cook's intent to pursue Thaksin's interest in Ronaldinho. The view from the Thaksin camp on the player is by no means clear cut: there is a fear that after such a period on the sidelines at Barcelona that the player might not be ready to step in and deliver. In the words of one source, City do not want a "Thierry Henry situation" – an allusion to the Frenchman's poor season at Barcelona – on their hands. But discussions are ongoing and the prospect of the player signing a genuine one.

While Hughes appeared looking relaxed yesterday at his home in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, before heading to London, those supporting his potential appointment by City included the club's former boss Joe Royle.

"He certainly has the character you would think to go and try one of those big jobs if he feels it's right."