The Paraguayan forward, who has missed Blackburn's last three games due to a calf injury, is expected to be the subject of an £18 million bid from City during the transfer window.
City manager Mark Hughes, who signed Santa Cruz from Bayern Munich in July 2007 for £3.8 million during his reign as Rovers manager, is keen to recruit the 27-year-old, despite Blackburn's reluctance to sell.
Having publicly stated his wish to leave for an "ambitious" club, Santa Cruz has opened the door for City to make their move, but Blackburn forward Benni McCarthy has urged his team-mate to consider the implications of leaving Ewood Park for Eastlands.
McCarthy said: "My message to Roque is that the grass is really not that green on the other side. Life is always harder. Here, you are appreciated and loved, but go elsewhere, and you have to start all over again.
"That makes it really, really hard to get going and who knows whether you will be as popular as you were at your previous club when you join your next one?
"Blackburn is a fantastic place to be. It is a great family club and, when you play here and you are a family-orientated person, it is amazing.
"It is very close-knit, the people are nice and they always try to do everything they can for you and your family to make you feel at home. That is the most important thing you can have in football because, if your family life is good, then the football side will get the best out of you."
City's need for reinforcements has been evident in recent weeks as Hughes' team have dropped down the Premier League and are lying close to the relegation zone. Hughes will continue to seek new faces in an effort to rescue the team from the threat of relegation.
Regardless of who arrives in January, home-grown forward Daniel Sturridge, who scored one and made another during the 2-2 draw at Blackburn on Sunday, insists that he has the ability to see off any new signings.
He said: "I know the club might buy players in January, but that doesn't worry me because I am willing to fight for my minutes on the pitch and show I belong at first- team level."
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