EPL champions Manchester City plot move for Nigerian goal king

Manchester City have jumped ahead of a long list of clubs interested in signing Almeria goalscoring machine Umar Sadiq.

According to AS, the Premier League champions want to sign the prolific Super Eagles invitee and instantly loan him to newly-promoted Troyes, where he will play in the French Ligue 1 next season.

Sadiq became the darling of several big clubs across Europe’s major leagues after smashing in 20 goals in 40 league matches in the Spanish second division.

La Liga giants Sevilla and Villarreal have both been credited with interests in the former AS Roma starlet. In contrast, both Spartak Moscow and Eintracht Frankfurt have already submitted their offers for the Nigerian.

But financial powerhouse Man City should have no trouble coughing out the transfer fee of €30 million, which Almeria have slapped on Sadiq.

The former Nigerian youth international may, however, not be tempted by the Premier League giants’ plan to send him on loan to Troyes immediately.

Manchester City had a similar plan when they acquired Nigeria’s Kayode Olanrewaju from Austria Wien in 2017, only to loan him to Girona in Spain instantly.

The former Maccabi Netanya man never made a single appearance for the Citizens before Shakhtar Donetsk signed him two years later after yet another loan spell.

Kaduna-born Sadiq has a contract with Almeria until 2025 with a buy-out clause of sixty million euros.