£88m too much for even Manchester City to pay?

It’s almost a given that come January, Carlos Tevez will leave Manchester City. After all his misdemeanours, City fans will be all too glad to see the back of the Argentinian and City’s owners will be looking to recoup some of their losses from his sale.

So Tevez will be off to foreign climbs – likely AC Milan and City will be short one striker, a void that Mancini will doubtless look to fill during the transfer window. Mancini may have made clear that he’s ‘happy’ with his squad, but the rumours around Eastlands suggest that he’s on the lookout for a new forward.

Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero may be a force to be reckoned with, but when you’re a club as big, powerful and cash-strapped as Manchester City, its not abnormal to keep buying and buying until the opposition are completely left behind.

Numbered among Mancini’s list of rumoured targets is Brazilian international Hulk. The fulcrum of an impressive Porto attack, Hulk netted 36 times last season as his club went on to win both the Portuguese domestic double and the Europa League. Quality such as this doesn’t come cheap in the modern game and City would have to spend big in order to tempt Porto to sell their best asset.

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However, Hulk’s agent has made clear just what lengths any club would have to go to get their hands on the 25-year-old striker. Speaking to the Sunday Express he said:

“Five clubs have offered £40million and Porto didn’t accept it. Only if someone meets the £88million buyout clause – if it happened, it couldn’t be blocked.”

Even in a world of exorbitant transfer fees and over-inflated wages, £88m is a ridiculous fee to demand for a player that has yet to prove himself in one of Europe’s top Leagues.

Given City’s financial standing, it seems churlish to suggest that they may just have been priced out of the market, but given their need to keep a watchful eye on financial fair play Mancini will likely give this one a pass.

You’d have to think that Porto would be willing to let him go for less than £88m. Everybody has their price and Hulk’s seems to be much lower than that attached to his escape clause. Unfortunately for City and other suitors (Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal…) Porto are in complete control of the situation and the fact that they weren’t willing to sell at £40m is a worrying sign.

For me, this is one that City ought to stay clear of. Hulk may be a fantastic talent, but City can do much better with their money.

What’s your take? How should City spend their cash this January?

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