Back and forth and finally to City: Delph brings transfer saga to end
FABIAN DELPH, the England internationalist, has sensationally performed a u-turn and signed for Manchester City.
Only six days ago, Delph ruled out a move and committed himself to Aston Villa, the club he captained, after several days of speculation that he was about to move to the Etihad Stadium in an £8m deal.
Delph signed a five-year deal at the Etihad and manager Manuel Pellegrini said he was delighted with the capture.
Pellegrini told the club’s official website: “Fabian Delph is an excellent player, and I am looking forward to working with him. He has made a huge impact in recent seasons at Aston Villa, and is now one of the brightest young midfielders in the Premier League.
“Fabian has tremendous skill and energy, and the fact that he has become a regular member of the England squad is further evidence of his progress over the past few seasons. At just 25 years old, he still has his best years ahead.”
Liverpool, meanwhile, have triggered the £32.5m release clause of Christian Benteke, the Aston Villa striker. The Anfield club changed their stance on the 24-year-old’s valuation on Thursday, having previously maintained they had no intention of paying what Villa were holding out for. But after selling Raheem Sterling to Manchester City in a £49m deal there was a shift in thinking as Rodgers was adamant he wanted to add some strength to his attacking options.
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has revealed his club is in talks with Chelsea regarding left-back Filipe Luis’ possible return to the Vicente Calderon stadium this summer.
The Brazil international joined Chelsea in a £15.8m transfer last summer after four seasons at Atletico and is under contract with the Stamford Bridge outfit for another two seasons. But Filipe Luis made just nine league starts for the Premier League champions last season and is reportedly keen to return to Spain.
“There are negotiations in place but I don’t know how fruitful they will be,” Cerezo said to the Spanish media. “Filipe Luis is a magnificent player. We would be delighted if he comes back and I think that in the end, we will find a solution.”