Man City tried to swap Tevez with Eto'o

Manchester: Roberto Mancini has revealed that Manchester City tried to swap Carlos Tevez for Inter striker Samuel Eto'o.

There had been intense speculation concerning the future of the Argentine forward, with the player himself expressing his desire to move away from the club at one point last season.

He did, however, retract his transfer request and the Eastlands club went on to win their first trophy in over three decades - the FA Cup - and finish in the top four of the Premier League to qualify for their first appearance in the group stage of the Champions League.

The Italian boss has now revealed that there had been a possibility the City skipper would move to Inter, until the Serie A heavyweights made it clear they had no intention of letting Eto'o move in the opposite direction.

Now the former Inter coach believes that Tevez will commit himself to City.

"Yes, of course Tevez will stay, he is a fantastic player," Mancini said, according to The News of the World.

"There was talk of an exchange with Eto'o, but Inter did not want to sell."

The ex-Lazio boss also believes that a deal for young Partizan Belgrade defender Stefan Savic has been completed, and did not rule out the possibility of snapping up Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri.

For his part, the Gunner has been linked with a move away from the Emirates, with a desire to win silverware mooted as the reason behind his potential transfer.

"I would say a deal for Savic has been done, but Nasri? No, not yet," Mancini added.

City have been linked with a plethora of players during the summer, and Mancini did nothing to dampen the speculation when he went on to name his favourite players from Serie A.

"I like Ezequiel Lavezzi, Marek Hamsik and Edinson Cavani. I like Javier Pastore a little less," he said.

"Then, when I think of Udinese, I can think of Pablo Armero and Mauricio Isla.

"And I must say Antonio Di Natale. It's a pity that he is now getting on in years. I also liked Radja Nainggolan of Cagliari.

"Of course, I did not mention the Inter boys for whom I have a weakness. I think the ones I coached are great players."

Mancini also maintained that his current squad do not yet possess the mental strength evident in the players at Manchester United, saying: "United have an incredible inner strength that we still lack. Winning has always been a mentality for them and they are amazing."

The boss also admitted that he intends to see out his contract at City before making any decision concerning his future, amid reports that he may be headed back to Italy.

He said: "I am now in England and I still have a two-year contract with the City where I feel well and have a good relationship with the owners.

"The Premier League is the best.

"In Italy, the stadiums are empty and this makes me very sad. Fifteen years ago they were full."

Mancini also feels that City should not make a "guest appearance" in the Champions League, but instead do what they can to achieve success in the European competition.

"I do not want it to be a guest appearance after having conquered the aim of qualifying with merit," he said. "We want to be leaders in the competition."