The Blues have been tracking the Barca superstar since the end of last season and are believed to have held discussions with the Brazilian's representatives on at least one occasion.

A deal is thought to have already been agreed with his current employers, and City are now waiting to hear back from the player himself.

However, with reports on Thursday suggesting that the former World Player of the Year is closing in on a move to Italian giants Milan and is also open to a Chelsea switch, City's patience is wearing thin.

With Mark Hughes keen to press on with his summer transfer plans, the club's executive chairman Garry Cook admits that the Premier League side will turn their attentions elsewhere should the saga continue to drag on with no apparent end in sight.

"We definitely don't want to be sitting waiting for a decision from Ronaldinho," he said in the Daily Mail.

"A mutual decision has to be made. We are setting our own timeline.

"We're not going to sit and wait. This is too big a football club for that."

Cook is refusing to give up hope, though, that an agreement can be reached and believes that City are now a attractive proposition for the world's best players.

"Ronaldinho wants to be in the best league with a big club," Cook added.

"There is no hiding the fact that success for this club is imminent."