Fernandinho gets his wish and joins Manchester City from Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City will issue another statement of intent in their quest to regain the Premier League title by completing the signing of Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho.
A day after Seville announced a deal to sell Spanish winger Jesús Navas to City in a deal that could rise to £22million, the English club are close to confirming another eye-catching acquisition.
City tracked Shakhtar Donetsk Fernandinho all season and the 28-year-old had made it clear he wished to move to the Etihad to improve his chances of breaking into Brazil’s World Cup squad.
His club inserted a buy-out clause of £42.5million, which was £15million above City’s initial valuation, but it is understood negotiations have significantly progressed and a compromise has been reached to allow Fernandinho to become the latest player to join the Manuel Pellegrini era before the manager is even in place.
Fernandinho caught the eye for the Ukrainians in the Champions League — he scored against Chelsea in the group stages — and has been outspoken in his desire for the move to be completed. Earlier this month he suggested Shakhtar were asking for too much money for his services and feared the buy-out clause would prove an obstacle.
“The day I signed, the club’s director guaranteed me that was normal with his players, and that in a transfer, we could negotiate and reach an agreement on the price,” he said. “I trusted them, and I didn’t think about the consequences it would bring me in the future. My dream is being threatened because of the high valuation.”
