Midfielder is amongst several English targets for the Sky Blues
According to the Mirror, Manchester City are ready to exploit a surprising £10 million buy-out clause in Fabian Delph’s Aston Villa contract.
The England international’s original deal was set to expire at the end of the last campaign, meaning he could have left Villa Park on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling.
However, he signed on new terms back in January, much to the surprise of many Villa fans. BUT Delph admitted he couldn’t leave in the January window as he wanted to help guide Villa to Premier League survival.
The 23-year old also expressed that he couldn’t justify leaving on a free transfer at the end of the season either. This coming after Villa owner Randy Lerner had supported Delph through several tough injuries during his time at the club.
Things have changed
Despite such loyalty, American backer Randy Lerner is on the verge of selling all of his shares in the club this summer, meaning the Villa captain may consider leaving.
Although £10 million may seem a fairly low fee in a footballing world of excessive British transfers, Aston Villa would double their money with the sale of Delph. They payed approximately £5 million to lure Delph from Leeds United back in 2009.
Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is targeting several highly rated English players, as the Manchester club need to be in tune with the home-grown players ruling.
Premier League clubs are not allowed to name more than 17 foreign players over the age of 21 in their squad. With the departures of home-grown players James Milner, Frank Lampard, Scott Sinclair and Dedryck Boyata, City need to delve into the transfer market.
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere and want-away Liverpool star Raheem Sterling have been publicly named as English targets by City alongside the likes of Delph.
Kieran Makin
