Kieran Maguire: Man City ‘master plan’ emerges as £175m Brazilian deal all but done
The Man City “master plan” is to recruit droves of Brazilian talent through their Brexit-circumventing takeover of Bahia.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider with City Football Group poised to complete a buyout of the second-tier club.
As relayed by Sports Pro on Tuesday (27 September), the multi-club umbrella organisation that owns Man City is set to make Bahia the 12th club in their portfolio.
It is understood that a £174.9million bid for a 90 per cent stake in the club has been accepted.
A sizable chunk of the headline figure will be made available for new player acquisitions and infrastructure investment, with the remaining cash used to pay off the club’s debts.
The likes of Liverpool ownership Fenway Sports Group and the new Chelsea regime have also been linked with takeovers in Brazil.
Maguire explained why the market is so attractive for European clubs looking to expand their influence.
“As far as South America is concerned, it is a lucrative market,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“Brazil exports more players than any other country in the world, effectively in terms of both quantity and value.
“Secondly, in the post-Brexit environment, we have effectively got a level playing field outside of the UK when it comes to acquiring players.
“Therefore, having control of a club with the potential to develop players’ governing body endorsement points while they are there is part of the master plan which would allow talent to come to the UK.”
In other news, Gabby Agbonlahor claims Man City “lucky” after “major” John Stones footage emerges.