Manchester City on Thursday announced the signing of Brazilian winger Savinho from French side ES Troyes AC, who are owned by the same parent company as the English champions.
Savinho shone last season on loan at Girona, another club owned by the City Football Group.
City are reportedly paying a fee of 40 million euros (US$43.5 million) for the 20-year-old, who has signed a five-year contract.
Photo: AP
Despite being registered to the Ligue 2 club, Savinho never played a minute for Troyes.
After his signing from Atletico Mineiro in 2022, he was immediately loaned to PSV Eindhoven.
The Brazil international then spent the last 12 months in La Liga, where he scored nine goals and provided 10 assists as Girona finished third behind Real Madrid and Barcelona to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history.
“Everyone knows they are the best team in the world right now, so to be here is very exciting for me,” Savinho said in a City statement. “I’m excited about the chance to work under Pep Guardiola, one of the greatest coaches ever, and someone I know will help me improve even more. I had an amazing time in Spain and I’m looking forward to a new challenge of playing in the Premier League and alongside some of the best players in the world.”
However, the nature of the deal is likely to raise further questions about the fairness of multiclub ownership structures.
City Football Group have stakes in 12 clubs in five different continents.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have signed 18-year-old French defender Leny Yoro from Lille OSC on a five-year contract, the English Premier League club announced on Thursday, as they bid to shore up their defense.
Sources say United agreed a 62 million euros fee for Yoro, who has played 60 games for Lille.
The centerback, who made 41 appearances last season, was named in the Ligue 1 team of the season after helping Lille finish fourth and secure a UEFA Champions League qualifying spot.
Yoro has been chased by several top European clubs, with Real Madrid one of the teams linked to the player.
He would be a welcome addition to a back line that has been riddled with injuries and has seen Raphael Varane depart.
“Leny is one of the most exciting young defenders in world football; he possesses every attribute needed to develop into a top-class centerback,” United sporting director Dan Ashworth said in a statement. “Having had such an excellent start to his career we are excited to support him in reaching his immense potential here at Manchester United.”
The teenager is the Old Trafford club’s second major acquisition after Netherlands striker Joshua Zirkzee joined for 42.5 million euros on Sunday.
“Signing for a club with the stature and ambition of Manchester United so early in my career is an incredible honour,” Yoro said in a statement. “Since my first conversations with the club, they set out a clear plan for how I can develop in Manchester as part of this exciting project, and showed a lot of care for me and my family.”
“I know about the history of young players at Manchester United and feel it can be the perfect place to reach my potential and achieve my ambitions, together with my new teammates,” he said.
Yoro was named in Thierry Henry’s provisional France squad for the Paris Olympics, but was left out of the final selection.
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Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
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