Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is reportedly lining up a shock January transfer bid for Argentine playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme.

Reports in the player's native Argentina have claimed the volatile 31-year-old is ready to quit his boyhood club Boca Juniors, with City monitoring developments.

According to Goal.com, Hughes is a huge fan of the former Barcelona and Villarreal star and would be willing to match his £2million-a-year wage demands.

The Welshman has been tracking the Argentine ace since his time at Blackburn Rovers and could bring in Riquelme should Brazilian attacker Robinho complete his protracted move to Spanish and European champions Barcelona.

However, Brazilian giants Corinthians are also interested in the player's services and are keen to link up Riquelme with former Real Madrid and Barcelona star Ronaldo.

While the former Argentina international may prefer to stay in South America, Todo Poderoso would be unwilling to match Riquelme’s high wage demands and he may yet be tempted by a move to the Premier League.

While Riquelme's talent is undoubted, his temperament is questionable after a series of high-profile bust ups over the years, including the infamous falling out with Diego Maradona in 2007 which saw him retire from the international scene.

Riquelme also missed the first-half of the 2007-8 season for El Submarino Amarillo after falling out with coach Manuel Pellegrini, as he manoeuvred for a move back to Argentina.

Having just got rid of one troublesome samba star Elano in the summer, taking a punt on Riquelme would represent a huge risk for Hughes as he looks to add some class to his City squad.