Manchester City Football Club are favourites to sign Joe Cole, according to The Mirror.

The England international is out of contract at Chelsea in the summer, when a number of Premier League rivals would bust a gut to take him for free.

Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are all big admirers of the former West Ham United ace, but The Mirror have moneybags City down as favourites.

The tabloid claims the Eastlands club would be willing to hand Cole, 28, a whopping £5million signing on fee, plus a staggering wage of £150,000-per-week.

Cole has stated he would prefer to remain at Stamford Bridge, but would he be able to refuse such a pay package if it was offered to him in the summer AND City finish in the top four this season?

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