As well as bolstering their first-team, Manchester City, through the City Group, are also plucking South American talent from all over and sending them to their various clubs.
The idea is if they develop, they could eventually end up at the Etihad, and Joaquin Correa, formerly of Lazio and now at Inter, came close to joining the Premier League side in the past.
Speaking in an interview with Corriere dello Sport, the Argentine was asked about one of his current teammates, Andrea Ranocchia, whom he already knew from his time at Sampdoria.
The 27-year-old joined the Serie A side in 2015, swapping Estudiantes in his home country for Genoa in exchange of £7.5m, but they had help from City.
The Cityzens and Sampdoria both ended up owning 50% of the player, before the Italians paid the rest of the money to ensure they owned all of him come the end of the campaign.
He said: “At the time, Manchester City owned half of me, then Sampdoria bought me entirely and I was happy because I didn’t want to go to City to be on the bench. I would not have lasted without playing”.
