Rumours: Guardiola to Man City, Sneijder to Man United

Wesley Sneijder is being frozen out by Inter at present

Incidents in Italy over the weekend indicate that two high-profile figures could head to Manchester in 2013...

On a lively Serie A weekend featuring Juventus' second loss in 53 games, a momentum-shifting Sicilian derby and another dose of refereeing controversy, two off-field developments could have a major impact on the Premier League.

AC Milan's 1-0 victory over the Old Lady provided the strongest evidence yet both that they are on the comeback trail and the 1.594/7-rated leaders aren't infallible, however even a match of that magnitude was overshadowed by two huge announcements.

The first was Silvio Berlusconi's confirmation of the flimsily shielded secret that they will be doing everything in their power to lure Pep Guardiola to San Siro this summer, somewhat ridiculing last week's assertion of "faith" in current coach Massimiliano Allegri.

Evidently, publicly undermining Allegri didn't negatively affect the team. Berlusconi in fact went as far as to take credit for their recent improvement, asking "have you seen how the side recharged itself when I am here?" and insisting "there is a need for my presence".

Yet his most intriguing comment was his take on which club are favourites to lure Guardiola. He believes a Premier League title contender are frontrunners, but not the one that last week hired an interim manager to ensure there is space for the former Barcelona boss come June.

He mused: "There are several English clubs who want Guardiola, in particular Manchester City, as they are in pole position because some of their directors know him well."

That was a reference to Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano, though Roberto Mancini has projected confidence that their appointments weren't premeditated steps towards a managerial change.

Also of relevance to Manchester's big two was Inter's revelation that Wesley Sneijder's unavailability hasn't been due to injury as initially relayed but instead a policy not to pick him until he agrees a new contract on reduced terms.

The first sign that something was awry came when his wife revealed that they had banned him from Twitter earlier this month. It is now clear that he is the latest target of a cost-cutting program that has seen Julio Cesar, Lucio, Maicon Thiago Motta and Diego Forlan all exit in 2012.

Inter's handling of the situation will be criticised, especially as he is their most highly-regarded player, but it is a logical decision. He has underperformed for two seasons, the Nerazzurri's best two spells in that period occurring in his absence, and accommodating him has become a tactical headache.

Minted Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala, who house his fellow treble winner Samuel Eto'o, have been mentioned as potential suitors as have Manchester United and Manchester City.

Sir Alex Ferguson's 2.285/4 Premier League favourites have been keen on Sneijder in the past but signed Shinji Kagawa, who fills the same position, in the summer, while the 2.68/5-rated champions have plenty of candidates for the number ten role.