Manchester City forced to sell striker to Premier League club this summer to help with FFP issues | OneFootball

Premier League champions Manchester City are reportedly being forced to sell one of their stand-out talents to aid with Financial FairPlay issues, according to a report.

It is the latest transfer story to emerge alongside a long list of potential outgoings this summer, albeit some more likely than others in an ever-changing picture for Manchester City’s first-team squad.

The latest conversations have concerned striker Julian Alvarez, who is reportedly eyeing an improvement in his game time as a leading striker for a club in Europe, thus leading to interest from the likes of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Atletico Madrid.

However, Manchester City are only wanting a sale this summer should Alvarez find a suitable destination for himself, and the club would likely want a transfer fee in excess of £70 million for the FIFA World Cup winner.

But Alvarez is not the only striker linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium this summer, with a new report detailing that Manchester City will be actively looking to sell one of their prospects in the coming weeks and months.

According to the information of journalist Alan Nixon, Manchester City will sell highly-rated academy graduate striker Liam Delap to a Premier League club this summer in order to help their Financial FairPlay issues.

The 21-year-old centre-forward has returned to the club following a season-long loan at Hull City but can now leave the Etihad Stadium on a permanent agreement. The Englishman’s status as a home grown player helps calculations before Pep Guardiola’s side spend again.

Since scoring his first senior goal for Manchester City in a League Cup clash behind-closed-doors against Bournemouth, Delap has gone on to embark on three successive loan spells across the English Football League.

Starting with a temporary spell at Stoke City, Delap recorded three goals in 23 appearances during the first-half of the 2022/23 season, before being recalled by Manchester City and being immediately loaned back out to Preston North End.

Without too much success at Deepdale, the following season saw Liam Rosenior’s Hull City take on Delap, where he remained at the club for the duration of the 2023/24 campaign, winning the club’s in-house Player of the Month award for December.