Manchester City plan to use Robinho as bait to land Chelsea captain John Terry in the summer. The Guardian says Robinho joined City only seven months ago but the club have begun to think of him as a problem player and intend to use the Brazilian to try to pull off one of the most remarkable pieces of transfer business in the modern game.

City's information is that Terry, despite his public statements to the contrary, is not as settled at Chelsea as supporters of the London club would like to believe. City have the financial power to double his weekly £135,000 salary and their inquiries have convinced them that the England captain wants to hear about the plans of the club's owners in Abu Dhabi.

The involvement of Robinho, City's so-called 'marquee signing,' will shock the club's supporters but prominent figures in Abu Dhabi are confident that disappointment will be offset by a planned £200m recruitment programme in the summer, with David Villa (Valencia), Yaya Toure (Barcelona), Kolo Toure (Arsenal) and Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn) also on the extensive list of targets.