Man City to raise £70m by selling off their fringe players this summer
Manchester City are expected to raise north of £70million in sales of fringe players this summer.
A number of youngsters, most of whom have never played a game for the club, are attracting interest from across Europe and their departures will swell Pep Guardiola’s transfer pot.
Guardiola wants a frontline striker ahead of the new season, with Tottenham’s Harry Kane now the manager’s preferred target.
England team-mate Jack Grealish is also on City’s wishlist in what is likely to become a significant few months of investment at the Etihad Stadium after Guardiola’s third Premier League crown.
The City boss is hopeful that the club can press on to remain ahead of their rivals and the planned expenditure coincides with high-value young players set to leave.
After three years on loan, Leeds United are triggering an obligation to purchase Jack Harrison for a deal worth £13m including bonuses after the winger excelled under Marcelo Bielsa at Elland Road.
Pedro Porro, who earned a Spain debut in March, starred during a season on loan at Sporting. The Portuguese champions are among those looking at securing his services, with the full-back valued at £15m.
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Sporting have also been credited with interest in striker Lukas Nmecha, who has made three substitute appearances for City.
The academy graduate, rated at close to £15m, finished his temporary spell at Anderlecht as top scorer and has been watched by a host of Bundesliga clubs including Hamburg. Nmecha scored the winner as Germany beat Portugal to lift the Under-21 European Championship on Sunday.
Midfielder Yangel Herrera, who faced Manchester United in Granada’s Europa League quarter-defeat in April, is another predicted to leave and thought to be worth around £20m after an encouraging season in La Liga.
Crystal Palace, Southampton and West Ham have watched the 23-year-old, as well as Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Villarreal. Serbia international Ivan Ilic is seen as worth £15m after a campaign at Verona, with Morgan Rogers likely to command interest following a promising stint at Lincoln City.
It is believed some deals could be structured as initial loans with obligations to buy built-in, as with Harrison at Leeds.
City also keeping watch of United target Jadon Sancho’s next move and are due a 15 per cent sell-on clause when Borussia Dortmund accept an offer. Sancho is estimated to cost £80m as an initial fee with instalments built into any deal.
City’s hierarchy have decisions to make on first-team stars who may wish to seek new challenges with guaranteed game time given the club’s pursuits of Kane and Grealish.
Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez – all interesting clubs from Spain and Italy – have two years remaining on their contracts. Bernardo Silva and Aymeric Laporte also have admirers, although moves will depend on City’s valuations of their regulars.