'Roberto Mancini chose Mario Balotelli instead of Edinson Cavani for Manchester City'
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Zamparini claimed he was ready to sell Cavani to then City manager Mancini, but the Italian opted instead to bring in Balotelli, who he knew from his time at Inter.
"I suggested to Mancini that he should sign Cavani when he was at Manchester City, but in the end he opted for Balotelli," Zamparini said on Italia 1.
"I could not understand it at all because I thought that Cavani was at a much, much higher level."
After scoring 104 goals in 138 games for Napoli, Cavani moved to to Paris Saint-Germain in 2013 for €64.5 million.
Meanwhile, Balotelli's spell with City was blighted by several off-the-pitch incidents and poor performances and he went on to return to Serie A in January 2013 with AC Milan.
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