Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini admits the signing of Owen Hargreaves was made with UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules in mind.

The Italian coveted Roma's Daniele de Rossi and Real Madrid's Fernando Gago - but settled on the 30-year-old former Manchester United midfielder because of a lack of income.

Mancini told The Independent: "Gago is a player we liked a lot. We couldn't spend any more money also for the question of financial fair play.

"De Rossi is one of the best midfielders in the world but I don't believe he will ever leave Roma. So in midfield we signed Hargreaves, who was out of contact."