Source: Daily_Mail
Star gazing City set to step up Terry and Lescott interest after failing to land Van Persie
Chelsea and Manchester City are racing against time to make abig-name signing before departing for overseas pre-season tours thisweek.
City remain hopeful of snatching England captain John Terry from Chelsea and will step up moves to sign Everton's Joleon Lescott, regardless of whether Chelsea buckle and agree to increase Terry's wages to stop him leaving Stamford Bridge.
Terry is said to be concerned by Chelsea's lack of star signings, and Sportsmail can reveal both City and Chelsea launched audacious bids to lure Arsenal's Robin van Persie with salary offers of more than £100,000 per week.
Although tempted by the prospect of joining Chelsea because he would have been able to stay in London, Van Persie chose instead to sign a four-year, £80,000-per-week extension to his deal at Arsenal, having also rejected offers from Juventus and Inter Milan.
Van Persie's decision was a big blow to new Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, who is still trying to sign the creative players he thinks the squad needs.
Ancelotti has also made attempts to hijack City's bid to sign Carlos Tevez - but he faces further frustration if, as expected, the Argentina forward is finally unveiled by City on Tuesday.
Securing Tevez would be a major coup for Mark Hughes, but the City manager believes his squad still do not have a top-class defender and is keen to fill that gap before City go on tour to South Africa on Wednesday.
Hughes and his club have been given plenty of encouragement in their pursuit of Terry - but there remains a suspicion the Chelsea captain will stay if he is given a pay rise to take him level with Frank Lampard on £150,000 per week.
City still hope Terry might be won over by their £200,000-a-week offer - and by the spin that not playing European football next season would be beneficial for a player who has had injury problems and wants to be fit to lead his country at next summer's World Cup in South Africa.
Whatever Terry decides, Hughes wants Lescott to reinforce his defence. Lescott, who lives in Manchester, is due back for training at Everton tomorrow after being given an extra week off following his involvement in England's June World Cup qualifiers.
The 27-year-old has had a strong bond with manager David Moyes since the Scot took him from Wolves and helped him become one of the Premier League's best defenders - as well as a regular member of the England squad.
But the chance of tripling his wages to more than £100,000 per week, as well as the excitement surrounding the 'project' at City, are tempting for him.
If Ancelotti's pursuit of Franck Ribery and others does not end in a big-name signing, Terry and Lescott could yet line up in City's defence on the first day of the new season.
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