Blues land teenage Brazil star for £10m
CITY have announced the acquisition of Brazil under-20 international Douglas Luiz.
As revealed by M.E.N Sport earlier this week, the 19-year-old has left Brazilian club Vasco Da Gama for a fee of around £10m.
Luiz is a silky-skilled attacking midfielder who made a name for himself in helping Vasco Da Gama to promotion to Brazil’s Serie A in his debut season in the first team.
He scored twice in 15 appearances in that first season and this season has been a regular, scoring three times in 24 games as the newly-promoted team have established themselves in mid-table.
But Luiz will not walk into Pep Guardiola’s first team set-up, with established names like David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne well ahead of him in the pecking order at the Etihad.
City football director Txiki Begiristain said: “We are pleased to welcome Douglas.
”He is an exciting player with great potential, and everyone here is looking forward to helping him develop his talent and progress in the game.”
He will be immediately loaned out – possibly to La Liga club Girona – who are expected to become part of the City Football Group in the near future.
Luiz is a Brazil under-20 international who City have been scouting for some time after their representatives singled him out during the Under-20 South American Championship held in Ecuador in January and February.
He was also being closely watched by Monaco and Borussia Dortmund after some impressive displays in that tournament.
He had a £35m release clause but City have talked the fee down.
The Blues were left licking their wounds after former Barcelona star Dani Alves did a late U-turn to join Paris St Germain after making a verbal agreement with City.
But the Blues are now targeting other right back options – and are also confident of wrapping up a deal for Monaco left back Benjamin Mendy in the near future. IT TOOK £45m and months of negotiations to sign a player Tottenham were willing to sell.
The story of Kyle Walker’s record move to City explains exactly why Pep Guardiola withdrew his interest in Dele Alli at an early stage.
It is also concrete evidence of Daniel Levy’s ferocious bargaining technique. Guardiola is happy. He has got his man. And while Dani Alves was also identified as a crucial part of his “DOES he score goals? No. Does he create them? No. Is he an OK holding midfield? Yeah – but De Jong, Vieira and Gareth Barry do that job already.”
That was how Sky pundit Paul Merson greeted the news that City had paid an ‘outrageous’ £25m for a Barcelona player by the name of plans ahead of a pivotal season, Walker has been his first choice option since admitting defeat in his pursuit of Hector Bellerin 12 months ago.
English, Premier League-proven, with the high-energy game Pep demands, Walker’s form for Tottenham caught Guardiola’s eye within weeks of taking over at the Etihad last season.
And he was not the only member of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad to do so.
Added to the list of Spurs players Guardiola coveted when asking director of football Txiki Begiristain to recruit more homegrown talent Yaya Toure seven years ago. Fast forward, adding in two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups and dozens of magical moments and crucial goals, and Yaya would have been a snip at twice the price. And yet nobody learns. The lesson is clear – a player’s true worth can only be assessed in retrospect.
The high and mighty of football – were Alli and Danny Rose. Walker was always considered the most attainable.
Alli, meanwhile, has suitors right across Europe – and pursuing a deal for the England midfielder had the potential to overshadow a summer when Guardiola will spend £300m overhauling his squad.
Considering Romelu Lukaku is set to cost a world record fee of £90m, once add-ons are met, English football’s new golden boy is likely to command well in excess of £100m.
With Levy at the negotiating table, it is fair to assume Alli would top the fee Monaco are demanding for Kylian Mbappe.
The French striker is another player City want, but believe £100m-plus is too much for the teenager.
They are yet to rule out a bid this summer – particularly if they miss out on Alexis Sanchez – but interest in Alli has been shelved for now, even if Guardiola is a confirmed admirer.
City instead were quick to secure and even some people who don’t know their Arsenal from their elbow – have been pontificating about Kyle Walker’s £45m move from Tottenham to City.
“Game’s gone,” commented former Arsenal and England fullback Lee Dixon.
Newsflash for Lee – the game ‘went’ years ago, when the greediest Premier League clubs – including Arsenal – decided they wanted to hog a deal for Monaco playmaker Bernardo Silva, who increasingly looks like a potential bargain at £43m during a hugely inflated transfer window. Guardiola and Begiristain know they cannot afford a mistake in a pivotal summer. Committing too much time to Alli, would have been a risky move, with City initially hoping to get all of their business done before flying out to America next week for their pre-season tour. Walker is one of four full backs they hope to sign. They believe a deal for Benjamin Mendy will be concluded imminently – at a fee of around £50m – and are also pursuing Ryan Bertrand. Alves was seen as a perfect addition, given that he was available for free and would have brought Champions League experience to a squad that City have worked hard to reduce the age of. Guardiola would ideally like to add a centre back, with City setting James Robson all the money and spend it on themselves.
Along came Chelsea and City, applying the same ‘financial might is right’ principles, and spending cash as the market dictates, and everyone throws their hands up in horror.
As soon as the nouveau riche do it, it is somehow morally unacceptable.
It is a common theme with City – six weeks into David Silva’s Blues career, his £25m fee was being