Manchester City passed up the chance to sign Edinson Cavani from Palermo in 2010 because then-manager Roberto Mancini preferred to buy Mario Balotelli, the Sicilian club have claimed.
Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini says he recommended Cavani to Mancini, who was then in his first summer in charge of City.
However, the Italian -- who hoped to sign the Uruguay international before his sacking in 2013 -- opted instead to bring in Balotelli, who he knew from his time as Inter Milan boss, for 24 million pounds.
"I suggested Cavani to Mancini at Manchester City, but he chose Balotelli, and I told him I did not understand," Zamparini told tuttomercatoweb. "I thought Edinson was much, much better."
Instead of joining City in 2010, Cavani moved to Napoli for 17 million euros and, after scoring 104 goals in 138 games for the Naples club, then moved on to Paris Saint-Germain in 2013 for 64.5 million euros.
Meanwhile, Balotelli scored 30 goals in 80 games for City and set up Sergio Aguero's Premier League title-deciding winner against Queens Park Rangers in 2012, before leaving for AC Milan in January 2013 for just 20 million euros. He then joined Liverpool this summer for a fee of 16 million pounds.
After Mancini's sacking in May 2013, his successor, Manuel Pellegrini, decided against pursuing City's interest in Cavani and signed Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic instead.