Man City facing Premier League scrutiny over Savio transfer | OneFootball

Highlights

Manchester City have agreed to sign winger Savio from Troyes. According to reports, however, the deal is expected to be scrutinised for fair market value by the Premier League.

The 19-year-old joined Troyes from Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro in a £5.55m deal in 2022. Despite that making him their record signing, he is yet to play once for the French club and is currently on loan at Girona – where he has impressed this season.

Both Troyes and Girona are part of the City Football Group, with Man City falling under the same multi-club ownership umbrella. Seeing as he is already a City Football Group employee, the Brazilian teenager is "expected to be valued by the Premier League to ensure the deal does not circumnavigate cost controls", as per The Telegraph.

Savio having fine season with Girona

Savio has scored seven goals and provided seven assists in 27 games while on loan with Girona. All but two of those goal contributions have come in the league, helping his current team to sit second in La Liga – just two points off leaders Real Madrid.

Before that, Savio – who is still only 19 – spent time out on loan with PSV Eindhoven. He played eight times for the Dutch club in total, gaining experience in the Eredivisie and the Europa League.

As a result, he's a wanted man. Indeed, that same report from The Telegraph notes that bids from other Premier League and Bundesliga clubs have reportedly been in the region of £25m.

And yet, it's Man City who have managed to secure the player's signature. It remains unclear yet just how much the English outfit will pay to Troyes and this final figure will be scrutinised by the Premier League to make sure nothing looks suspicious.

Man City already under FFP scrutiny

Trial set to begin in Autumn 2024

Frank Lampard and Jack Harrison are among other former City Group players to have switched between affiliated teams in the past. This deal involving Savio will be the first since more scrutiny was introduced to such deals.

In 2021, new terms were drafted where related clubs must demonstrate “fair market value of the transaction” to the league’s board. So for instance, if Manchester United were to sign a player from OGC Nice or Swiss Super League side Lausanne-Sport, that deal would also be scrutinised by the Premier League as all clubs have significant ties to Ineos.

In theory, this should stop Man City from signing a £25m footballer for a fraction of that value, which would then help them land a great player without having to worry about financial fair play restrictions (FFP) quite so much.

Seeing as the Cityzens have been charged with 115 breaches of Financial Fair Play regulations dating back to 2009 – with the trial set to begin in Autumn 2024 and a verdict expected to be reached in the summer of 2025 – it should come as no surprise that any transfer business they do is being watched with cynical eyes.