Graphic: The managerial merry-go-round

Manchester City's attempts to lure Mark Hughes from Blackburn Rovers to be their new manager are expected to gather pace today when Garry Cook, who was ratified as the club's executive chairman at a board meeting yesterday, arrives to oversee the negotiation process.

Cook, an accountant from Birmingham who has spent the past 12 years working as a senior marketing executive for Nike, the sportswear giant, will fly to Manchester from his home in Portland, Oregon, and will assume the responsibility of overseeing City's budget, player recruitment and commercial opportunities, especially across the Far East, other parts of Asia and the United States.

He will have plenty to negotiate as Blackburn have dug in their heels and demanded at least £5 million in compensation should Hughes depart for City. That sum would form only part of the enormous bill that Thaksin Shinawatra, the City owner, was warned he would have to meet if he pressed ahead with his plans to replace Sven-Göran Eriksson, who was dismissed as manager yesterday almost eight weeks after the Thai indicated that the Swede's job was under threat.

Having already agreed a £1.25 million settlement with Eriksson, Thaksin could easily run up a projected bill exceeding £18 million if Hughes, who stands to double the £1.5 million a year he receives from Blackburn, and his backroom staff sign three-year deals, as Eriksson and his staff did last summer.

Blackburn are loath to lose Hughes and have made it clear that they will not allow their manager and his team of Mark Bowen, Eddie Niedzwiecki and Kevin Hitchcock, all of whom have two years remaining on the new contracts they signed last November, to leave the club on the cheap. Bowen, Hughes's highly rated No 2, and Niedzwiecki and Hitchcock would cost about £1 million annually.

Blackburn and City were thought to be some way apart as far as a compensation package was concerned last night, with John Williams, the Blackburn chairman and a shrewd negotiator, clear that he will not be messed about. Blackburn are thought to have received about £3 million in compensation when Graeme Souness, Hughes's predecessor, left for Newcastle United in 2004.

In a statement issued yesterday, Blackburn said: “We have received an approach from Manchester City for permission to talk to Mark Hughes with regard to him becoming their manager. Mark has made it clear to the board he would like the opportunity to talk to Manchester City.

“In view of this, the board have decided reluctantly to give permission subject to terms and conditions acceptable to Blackburn Rovers being agreed with Manchester City in advance.”

As well as attempting to secure Hughes's services, Cook will hope to conclude negotiations to sign Jô, the CSKA Moscow and Brazil striker, whose record £18 million transfer is expected to be ratified once the identity of the new manager is confirmed.

Although Hughes is intrigued about the possibility of taking charge at the City of Manchester Stadium, the Blackburn manager's representatives are thought to have given Chelsea assurances that he will not commit his future to City until the intentions of Roman Abramovich, the London club's owner, become clearer.

The appointment of Hughes as City manager would increase the possibility of a move for Roque Santa Cruz, the Blackburn striker, for whom City had a £4.5 million bid rejected in January, and possibly David Bentley, the Blackburn and England midfield player.

Sven's money-go-round

£3.75m

Payoff received from the FA after stepping down as England head coach in July 2006

£13,000

Amount he was receiving a day from FA while out of work

£2.5m

Annual salary with Manchester City

£1.25m

Payoff received from City