There is a distinctly South American flavour to the stories circulating about City in the press today, though one in particular is lacking in substance.

Carlos Tevez, Robinho and Roque Santa Cruz – no strangers to the back pages – are all featured in one paper or another, with the usual mixture of mischief and speculation.

With Tevez due to return from Wolrd Cup duty today, Alan Nixon in the Daily Mirror is first to try and create a story from nothing.

Despite Carlitos’ recent interview where is quoted as saying moving to City was “the best decision of my life”, Nixon now believes the Argentinian has become “depressed” at the thought of another Premier League season.

Nixon, whose story has a sub-header ‘City’s disastrous US tour ends in farce’ writes: “Manchester City are anxiously waiting to see if Carlos Tevez turns up for training today – with Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho waiting in the wings.”

Where is Mourinho lurking exactly? In the hedges that surround Carrington, perhaps? Nixon is only doing his job but this really is a weak thread and as for a “disastrous tour”, it’s surely mentioning the Blues had a very inexperienced team for the lion’s share of the US trip, isn’t it?

Gary Jacob in The Times believes Robinho would have been an interested spectator of the City v Inter clash on Saturday night. In his Window Watch column, he claims the Brazilian is now looking at Italy as a possible future home.

“Robinho’s agent, Evandro de Souza, has held talks with Inter Milan in the hope the Italian club will sign the Manchester City forward,” writes Jacobs.

“The Brazil player returned on loan to Santos last season, and since then his representatives have failed to find him a club in Spain.”

Jacob goes on to claim the Blues have also “verbally agreed a deal with Inter forward Mario Balotelli.”

Finally, several papers believe a number of European clubs are on the trail of Roque Santa Cruz. In ‘The Screamer’ column in the Mail, edited by Leo Spall, the Paraguayan striker is linked with Olympiakos, Marseille and Fenerbahce.

“I could see a paid-for loan with an automatic option to buy,” Roque is quoted. “That’s the fashionable solution, but it’s up to City to decide.”