Manchester City are some of the shrewdest operators in the transfer market.
Even this summer, Pep Guardiola has been rewarded with new signings like Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Ait-Nouri — three players who could take City to the next level while Marcus Bettinelli has replaced Scott Carson as their third-choice goalkeeper.
The Sky Blues are as brilliant at selling players, with Manchester City’s £64.6 million sale of Julian Alvarez last summer after initially signing him for £14.1 million being the best example of their business savvy.
Considering Cole Palmer wished to stay at Manchester City, their decision to let him go and that too for £40 million reflects poorly on the decision-makers at the Etihad Stadium, as he has perhaps doubled his value at Chelsea.
Man City set to sell Maximo Perrone to Como for £11 million after £25 million demand
Maximo Perrone is another youngster who is now on the verge of leaving City. Como are set to sign Perrone for £11 million after he has impressed during his loan spell in Italy.
However, considering Manchester City almost agreed to sell Perrone to Como for £25 million, their decision to offload the Argentine for less than half the fee looks puzzling to say the least.
As Cesc Fabregas’ side finished in 10th place in Serie A, the 22-year-old was one of their most important players as he started 20 league games — with his ascent only interrupted by a mid-season injury.
The youngster, whose “individual quality” was highlighted by Pep Guardiola (via HITC) formed a solid partnership in the middle of the park alongside Lucas de Cunha, a pairing that expertly anchored their backline as Fabregas and Co emerged as the Italian top-flight’s biggest surprise package last season.
Considering Cesc Fabregas was effusive in his praise of Perrone and values his role in Como’s system, Manchester City should have stuck to their guns in a deal to sell him — with his stats painting the picture of why the former Velez Sarsfield technician is a special player.
| MAXIMO PERRONE STATS PER 90 | OVER THE PAST 365 DAYS |
| PASSES ATTEMPTED | 65.09 |
| PASS COMPLETION | 90.4% |
| ASSISTS | 0.15 |
| CLEARANCES | 2.08 |
The Spaniard told Sky Italia: “I don’t like talking about injuries but I’m happy he’s back on the pitch after three months. He couldn’t play more than 60 minutes; he’s the driving force of the team, he manages time well and always knows what to do; he’s an important player for the team.”
The rest of European football would have been attentive to Perrone’s rise and Manchester City could have even offered the midfielder to them if Como decided not to budge on their valuation of him.
But now, it seems like Pep Guardiola’s side have hurried to sell one of the best young prospects in the world.
Man City could have offered Maximo Perrone to another club
Apart from Como, Inter Milan were interested in signing Perrone from Manchester City as well.
Even if Inter were unwilling to accept City’s valuation of £25 million, their superior financial muscle to Como could suggest that they could have put forth a higher fee than £11 million.
Regardless, the Sky Blues have now made their decision and they will be hoping that much like Palmer, he does not morph into a superstar elsewhere.
