Ritsu Doan is a Japanese attacking midfielder currently at FC Groningen, on loan from Gamba Osaka, and Manchester City have been trying to get a slice of the cake.
Doan has impressed in the Netherlands, so it’s fortunate Groningen have a buying option with Gamba Osaka. That option is around €2m and De Telegraaf report Manchester City have made an offer to help finance that so they then would own a percentage of the player.
That isn’t strictly abiding by FIFA rules, but we’re sure the arrangement would have been something different which didn’t cause too much trouble for football’s great and good.
Manchester City already have a good relationship with the Dutch side, and have Mexican
Uriel Antuna on loan there, so probably thought they could help out whilst helping themselves.
But Groningen aren’t interested. They want the 19 year old all for themselves, probably keen they make the profit somewhere down the line, rather than City.
Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf quote the club’s technical manager Ron Jans as saying. “We now have everything in our own hands. We have said that we liked it very much that they (City) offered it, but we do it on our own. The link with City is positive.”
Nice try, City Football Group.
