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Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has left the door open for Wayne Rooney to cross the divide and join the Eastlands club.

Rooney has sparked a transfer scramble among Europe's elite clubs after revealing he is unhappy at Manchester United and unwilling to discuss a new contract.

City, who swooped to sign Carlos Tevez from their local rivals in July 2009, are reported to be the frontrunners due to the deep pockets of their Abu Dhabi-based owners.

Mancini played down suggestions that the England striker could make the switch in January when speaking at his press conference ahead of Thursday's Europa League encounter with Lech Poznan.

However, he did leave the door open for a possible raid on Old Trafford for Rooney.

"In December it is normal that teams that want to improve and have money to spend will want to buy players," he explained.

"Maybe in January we can change some players, but it depends on the situation. If we have injuries, maybe."

Meanwhile, Mancini has suggested that Rooney would find it more difficult that Tevez to swap Manchester clubs.

The Argentina striker left United after two seasons when they were unwilling to meet the transfer fee set by his third-party owners.

Mancini added:"It was different for Carlos. Rooney is English and has played for United for a long time.

"Carlos was there for two years. That makes a difference."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email