MANCHESTER City look set to test Blackburn Rovers’ resolve once more with a fifth bid for Roque Santa Cruz.

Former Rovers boss Mark Hughes made three unsuccessful bids for the wantaway Paraguayan during the January transfer window, having made his first attempt almost a year ago, but hinted in April that he would probably turn his attention to other targets this summer.

Rovers received no approaches for Santa Cruz in the two weeks following the end of the Premier League season but it is understood that there is now keen interest in the striker, who is still not fully fit following a knee operation.

Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are also reported to be among the chasers but it is thought that City could now be ready to make another official offer to buy Santa Cruz, with a figure of £15m likely to be close to the mark.

Sources close to the Eastlands club have suggested that Hughes, who brought Santa Cruz to Rovers from Bayern Munich for £3.5m in 2007, is hoping to tie up a deal by the middle of next week.

Versatile defender Tal Ben Haim, who played for Sam Allardyce at Bolton, has been linked with a move to Ewood as part of the deal but it is believed that Rovers are not keen on that idea.

City, who bought Gareth Barry for £12m last week, became the richest club in the world when Sheikh Mansour took control in August.

By that stage Hughes had already made his first bid for Santa Cruz but days later the 27-year-old signed a new four-year deal at Ewood.

City, however, came back with three more offers in January, with the highest in the region of £18m - still some way short of the asking price as Rovers fought to keep Santa Cruz in their fight against relegation.

Now it is believed they may be more willing to allow their star man to leave but City’s likely bid will not be large enough to activate a £20m release clause in Santa Cruz’s contract, which would automatically let the Paraguayan depart providing the fee is met by early July.