Manchester City are favourites to land Barcelona star Samuel Eto'o, despite rival interest from Chelsea and Tottenham.

The Telegraph says Barcelona were in talks on Monday with Manchester City over the sale of striker Samuel Eto'o for a fee of at least £40 million, smashing the British transfer record.

Ahead of Tuesday night's Champions League semi-final first leg at home to Chelsea, Barca president Joan Laporta flew to London to hold talks with City chief executive Garry Cook, according to sources in Spain.

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are also aware that Eto'o may finally leave the Nou Camp this summer and have again registered their interest, but City are favourites to sign the 28-year-old Cameroonian striker, who will demand wages of £150,000 a week.

The fee for Eto'o would beat the £36 million City paid to Real Madrid - and agents - to sign Robinho last year and would also represent a breakthrough in the kind of superstar player that the club craves, as executives try to satisfy the ambitions of the club's wealthy owners, the Abu Dhabi United Group.