Man City's £49m transfer boost gives academy familiar challenge next season
Riyad Mahrez took Manchester City's summer sales to over £65m on Friday, with potential to take that closer to £90m or above if a couple more players depart.
Kyle Walker could still join Bayern Munich, while Carlos Borges is wanted by West Ham for around £14m. Loanees like Tommy Doyle and Taylor Harwood-Bellis could leave permanently or on loan before the transfer deadline.
Of City's incomings so far, over half has come from the academy, with goalkeeper James Trafford joining Burnley and under-21 captain Shea Charles going to Southampton. The pair have gone for an initial £24.5m, and if add-ons are met, they could add a further £8.5m. Dire Mebude became the latest talent to depart on a permanent deal, this time for a lower initial fee between £1-2m.
For Brian Barry-Murphy's Elite Development Squad, they have lost their captain and second-top scorer, with the top scorer likely to follow them out of the door. Their player of the year is set for a promotion to the first team, and their five most-used players are all set to be out of the academy next season.
What Pep Guardiola told James McAtee about his Man City future
Charles was the title-winning captain who started 29 times for the under-21s - more than any other player. Mebude played 28 times, as did Oscar Bobb who was Player of the Year and got 17 assists. Mebude contributed 11 goals and 14 assists.
Borges played 27 times, scoring a remarkable 25 goals with 12 assists, while midfielder Kian Breckin added a handy eight goals with four assists from 27 games. Breckin has been loaned out to Wycombe for the season,
The goals of Borges, Mebude, Bobb, Breckin and Charles accounted for 62 per cent of the under-21s' strikes last season, and those five players were the only
Read on manchestereveningnews.co.uk
