Man City to get £187m transfer vindication with record breaking deal close
Manchester City have set the bar high for academy success. The Blues have a best-in-class setup that helps them develop world stars who succeed on and off the pitch.
City claimed the FA Youth Cup in May for the second time in three seasons and third in seven. The first of those victories – in 2020 – saw Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Liam Delap lead the charge to silverware. Palmer and Rogers scored in the final victory over Chelsea, with Delap providing the assists.
The trio could feasibly have been a front three at City but are set to be reunited at Chelsea, with Palmer and Delap having moved directly to Stamford Bridge from City for a combined fee of £70million and Rogers finalising a club-record £117million switch from Aston Villa.
City sold the 23-year-old, who featured for England in the World Cup, to Middlesbrough for £1.1million in 2023. And while he’s added more than £100m to his pricetag in the three years since, his rise will still be considered a success by those in the Blues academy.
The City aim is to develop good players and good people with the ultimate ambition of breaking into the first team, but given the elite level of competition at a club that has dominated English football over the past decade, departures are inevitable.
Rogers was well thought of at City but there was little outcry when he left for Boro, with Pep Guardiola’s side having just won the treble. Yet his move to Aston Villa and subsequently Chelsea has reinforced the potential, ability and mentality that City knew the midfielder possessed. And the sheer amount in transfer fees generated by Rogers over his three moves since leaving the Etihad highlights the value clubs see in the best of British talent.
City position themselves to be able to swoop for local talent like Palmer, Phil Foden and Nico O’Reilly, while also possessing the scouting, coaching, structure and pathway to lure other top talents to the Etihad. That’s how they signed Rogers and Delap from West Brom and Derby respectively, and this summer they won a competitive race for 17-year-old Leicester City sensation Jeremy Monga.
Whether Monga blossoms into a regular for City or ends up progressing his career elsewhere, the Blues know they stand to benefit either way with a first-team star or a potential profit on a deal.
No club has made more money in recent years from selling academy graduates, which count as pure profit for footballing accounting purposes. This summer the Blues have already sold Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and Reigan Heskey to Bundesliga side FC Koln for a combined £7million with the prospect of netting more money via add-ons and sell-on clauses.
It’s a strategy that has paid off time and again and that line-up from the 2020 Youth Cup final contains Premier League winners, England internationals and almost all are playing in leading European leagues.
The riches of the Rogers deal may elude the Blues but the record-breaking deal is a vindication for the City approach on and off the pitch.
