‘Nico O’Reilly likely to quit Man City’ amid Cole Palmer claim
Manchester City may look to cash in on Nico O’Reilly and earn a 100 per cent profit to comply with FFP and PSR rules.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson slammed the current situation which could see O’Reilly sold purely for PSR purposes by City.
Deputising at left-back as well as in his more familiar role of attacking midfield, O’Reilly now faces added competition after Man City signed both Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri before the Club World Cup.
Man City could therefore look to sell O’Reilly this summer in the knowledge that they’d earn a 100 per cent profit to do so, and Robinson told Football Insider that he wouldn’t be surprised to see this happen.
Robinson highlighted Cole Palmer as the most prominent example of a player who left Man City a long time ahead of schedule, and O’Reilly’s team-mate James McAtee could be the next to follow suit.
Man City scenario ‘stunting O’Reilly’s growth’ as exit beckon
Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider back in February that Man City would accept fees of over £40million for O’Reilly amid interest from Chelsea, following a similar path set by Palmer’s 2023 transfer.
Speaking on the latest Inside Track, Robinson was asked about the prospect of Man City selling O’Reilly this summer, in order to give themselves more leeway within the Premier League’s PSR restrictions.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if [O’Reilly] went”, Robinson told Football Insider.
“We’ve spoken about how these FFP and PSR rules stunt the growth of academy talents coming into the first team, and here’s another example of that with Nico O’Reilly.
“There’s a lot of competition for places in that Manchester City squad, and the fact that he brings in 100 per cent profit gives them an opportunity to balance the books.
“It’s a detriment to bringing your own youngsters into the first team. Would I be surprised to see him go?
“No – in a similar way to James McAtee and Cole Palmer, those types of players – clubs are not being allowed to fully develop their players.”
Premier League urged to alter PSR rules amid Man City situation
Robinson has already taken aim at the Premier League’s FFP and PSR rules due to the restrictions on Newcastle United’s spending, and O’Reilly being sold this summer would add to a worrying trend.
Lewis Miley is a candidate to follow Elliot Anderson out of St. James’ Park for PSR purposes alone, and City will also suffer if either McAtee or O’Reilly ends up having a similar impact to Palmer at Chelsea.
Palmer has gone from a sporadic City player to Chelsea’s talisman and one of the Premier League’s best, but the rate at which youngsters are being sold off for ‘pure profit’ must surely be addressed to prevent clubs losing their best talent every single summer.