Darío Sarmiento from Estudiantes de La Plata in Argentina has been attracting interest from Manchester City.
Three days ago, El Día reported the 17-year-old’s sale to the Premier League side is ‘imminent’ as the Citizens are prepared to pay in excess of €20m.
It was also stated the winger’s transfer should be concluded in the coming days and Manchester City will allow the teenager to remain with the Argentine side on loan until next June.
Another report from El Día focuses on Estudiantes’ current crisis as they haven’t won a match since the start of the February.
In the midst of the football crisis, Javier Mascherano announced his retirement, and there’s interest from Pep Guardiola’s side in Sarmiento, who already has ‘one foot’ at City.
It’s also claimed his sale would be ‘imminent’ and Estudiantes would earn around €16m.
Local newspaper Diario Hoy en la Noticia also has a report on City’s reported interest in the youngster.
They add the South American side are ‘surprised and disgusted’ by the recent media speculation suggesting middlemen would place Sarmiento at City for less than €10m. Estudiantes officially don’t recognise receiving any offer.
“There is no official offer. We deny that someone has approached those numbers, although we do know that there are people who are working to get a good offer,” an unnamed source from the club was quoted as saying.
Estudiantes have warned that chairman Juan Sebastián Verón, and one of the club’s vice-presidents, must endorse Sarmiento’s transfer, and they have distanced themselves from Facundo Fraga and Luciano Galletti, the young winger’s representatives.
