A part of Girona’s preseason preparation took place in Manchester where they used Manchester City’s facilities during their trip to England. The Spanish side is co-owned by the City Football Group, which also owns the Etihad club.
Since 2015, the Premier League winners have allowed their young talented players to go out on loan to Girona.
In July, we carried several reports from AS, who explained that Girona’s idea is to sign two or three players from Pep Guardiola’s side. However, they finished the window without bringing in any players from City.
The Segunda Division side’s decision to not sign players from City is a clear indication of Girona’s plan. It’s claimed the City players offered to them were not convincing and discarded.
Interestingly, that’s not what Girona sporting director Quique Cárcel said on Tuesday, revealing they wanted ‘three or four’ Manchester City players.
Girona and City did business in the summer as the former raised funds by allowing Pedro Poro to join the English champions for €12m. The latter was allowed to go out on loan to Real Valladolid.
