Barcelona are preparing a bid for Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany. The Mail on Sunday says the Belgium star signed a six-year deal with the Barclays Premier League champions last year but that is unlikely to deter Barcelona.

Barcelona have a £40m-plus war chest and had already shown interest in Kompany when Pep Guardiola was in charge.

Now they are poised to swoop, especially after the club-v-country row when manager Roberto Mancini criticised the Belgian after he disobeyed orders to pull out of his country's World Cup qualifier with Macedonia over his fitness.