Roberto Mancini's planning for Manchester City's first season in the Champions League has received bad news on two fronts after it emerged that Carlos Tevez still wants to explore the possibilities of a summer move and the club will reject the Italian's request to fund another major recruitment programme.

Mancini has asked the Abu Dhabi United Group for the finances to help the FA Cup winners become authentic title challengers next season but, in a video interview to be shown on the club's website on Thursday, the chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, makes it clear that he does not see more than two new arrivals.

"It won't be like last summer, or the summer before," Khaldoon says. "What you will see this year is strengthening the squad in areas that we feel require more depth. We don't need quantity, as today we have quality. We just need a couple of players."

That new, more reserved kind of thinking is based on Uefa's incoming fair-play guidelines and the sense at Eastlands that, to comply, they need to put an end to their vast spending in the transfer market. However, it is unlikely to go down well with Mancini at a time when he feels it crucial to improve the City squad and there are serious doubts about Tevez's involvement.

Tevez has been described as surprised and taken aback by Mancini's statement on Tuesday that he had spoken to him on several occasions before and after the FA Cup final and that "he has said he wants to stay".

The Italian's version of events is in complete contradiction to the account from the player's side, namely that his stance has not changed. Tevez has told associates he is disappointed by the remarks, believing it to be political positioning on the part of City's manager.

Instead, Tevez has a meeting with his adviser, Kia Joorabchian, next week to discuss his future, his favoured option being a move to either Real Madrid or Internazionale. Whether that is feasible is not certain, with City valuing him in the region of £50m, plus a weekly salary in the region of £250,000 to be taken into consideration. However, the Tevez camp will look into whether it can be arranged, in part because of the player's desire to make it easier to see his two young daughters, Florencia and Katia,

They currently live in Buenos Aires with his former partner, Vanessa, and the thinking is that if Tevez moved to mainland Europe they might be persuaded to move with him. Tevez is frustrated that his family issues are often overlooked, pointing out that it would also be easier, in terms of direct flights, for him to travel to and from Argentina if he lived in, say, Madrid. Vanessa speaks only Spanish and did not embrace life in Manchester.

At the same time Tevez is aware that City will be playing in the Champions League next season and may be in a position to make an authentic title challenge. He knows, too, that he is currently the best-paid player in English football, so there are considerations in favour of staying in Manchester.

The saga threatens to go on through the summer but Khaldoon remains confident that City can build on their success.

"I feel strongly a winning mentality is coming into the team. We have an incredible squad with so many talented individuals and a lot of heart in that squad. We have a great operation with everyone involved, headed by our chief executive, Garry Cook, who I must say has done a phenomenal job."