Tottenham are considering an approach for Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry. The 32-year-old defensive midfielder has only 12 months left on his Etihad contract and the Express believes Spurs could sign the England man for as little as £4m. He is also interesting Stoke City.

The 2011/12 Premier League champions sacked manager Roberto Mancini earlier this year, after a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup final. No formal announcement has been made so far but speculation strongly links Malaga manager Manuel Pellegrini to the vacant seat.

Gareth Barry (R)
Reuters

The Chilean, a former Real Madrid manager, will likely want to make changes to the first team at the Etihad and one of those changes could involve Barry being released, to make way for a younger prospect.

In any case, City already have Ivory Coast international Yaya Toure, former Madrid youngster Javi Garcia and ex-Everton youth player Jack Rodwell in the centre of the park. In addition, they've also signed Brazilian Fernandinho from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk. And winger Jesus Navas has joined from Spanish side Sevilla.

Spurs' Andre Villas-Boas has reportedly set his eyes on Barry joining the White Hart Lane club, as replacement for Scott Parker. The former England captain is 33 years old and had an injury hit season last year and Barry could provide a better alternative, although he will only be a short-term signing. The north London side do have Brazilian Sandro, who spent the second half of the season injured.

A move for Barry might make sense for both Spurs and the player himself but the latter has sought to distance himself from speculation by insisting he wants to remain with City for as "long as possible".

"I am happy here and very settled. I spent 12 years at Villa and I've spent four years at City and I'm not really one for moving around. I'd like to stay as long as possible," Barry told Sky Sports, adding, "For a player to feel settled and feel very comfortable, you generally want to be playing regular football. I've been lucky enough to feature in a lot of games this season. That's one reason why I am happy to stay."

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