Manchester City facing FA investigation for the transfer of wonderkid Jadon Sancho

Premier League Champions Manchester City are alleged to have made a 'banned' payment of £200,000 to Jadon Sancho's agent when they signed the youngster aged 14 from Watford, according to German news outlet Der Spiegel. 

Jadon Sancho has now been directly involved in 22 Bundesliga goals since joining BVB:

• 35 games
• 14 assists
• 8 goals

Today is his 23rd start.  pic.twitter.com/vlpJCLD8hJ

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 24, 2019

Der Spiegel claim Manchester City 'circumvented rules' by paying Sancho's agent, Emeka Obasi, £200,000 by creating what appeared to be a contract for a role as a scout for the club. Obasi was supposedly helping to scout players from South America for City, yet a club employee has revealed that the payment was not for Obasi's fake scouting services, but instead for persuading his client to join City. 

The payment is illegal due to youth players under the age of 16 being unable to be represented by an agent.

City say that this has been taken 'out of context'  and that Der Spiegel was 'damaging the club's reputation'. 

In a letter addressed to Sancho's father, the 14-year-old's future salary, performance bonuses including those he would receive if playing for the national team were all included in writing.

There are regulations in place to prevent this happening, yet City have seemingly overcome them. Liverpool were banned recently for breaking similar rules. Liverpool accepted a charge and ban on signing academy players from other clubs in the UK for 18 months back at the end of 2017, after they had illegally tried to sign a 12-year-old player from Stoke City.

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Sancho, who is now excelling for Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, had a troublesome couple of years at City involving concerns over his attitude towards his education and relationships with other players, including Phil Foden.

He was sold to Germany for £8m and hasn't looked back, going on to make three senior apps for England. Talks have even surfaced over a possible expensive return to the Premier League, however the 19-year-old appears to be at the best place for his career right now. 

Speaking earlier this month to Goal, he said: "You’ve got to thank Dortmund, because it’s unheard of for a team that gets 80,000 fans at every home game to put so much faith in youngsters.

"A few asked me, ‘What if it doesn’t work out?’ but I never thought about that. And look at how it’s worked out now.”

 

pic.twitter.com/0HsMvfzWTA

— Jadon Sancho (@Sanchooo10) February 22, 2019

 

Lead Image Credit: Central via Wikipedia Commons