From Spain: Manchester City set to launch €100M package for Gabri Veiga

Manchester City are ready to activate a €40 million release clause to secure the services of Celta Vigo star Gabri Veiga, according to reports from Spain.

The news comes amid City’s ongoing search for fresh faces in Pep Guardiola’s midfield, with Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham widely reported as being the Etihad club’s primary target for the position.

However, given the uncertainty surrounding the futures of the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva in particular, there is a feeling that Manchester City may look to recruit more than once in the centre of the park.

Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic and West Ham’s Declan Rice have been mooted as possible options for City officials, however the latest line of reporting is that the Premier League champions have taken their negotiations over to Spain where they are reportedly close to a new signing.

That negotiation concerns Celta Vigo’s hugely impressive 20 year-old attacking midfielder Gabri Veiga – a youth product of the Vigo-based club that has attracted significant interest from across Europe.

Despite such high-level interest, it looks as though Manchester City may win the race for the player.

That is according to a new report from Marca this week, who claim that City now appear ready to activate Gabri Veiga’s €40 million release clause to prise the Spanish central midfielder away from Celta Vigo this summer.

With a five-year contract worth €60 million for the player, the information from Spain – as translated and relayed by Sport Witness – states that unless Real Madrid can match City’s proposal, then the player’s future will now be in the Premier League.

The overall package from Manchester City would as such be around €100 million – according to Marca – suggesting that the player is well in the plans for Pep Guardiola’s immediate first-team squad at the Etihad Stadium.

Veiga has been a mainstay in the centre of Celta Vigo’s midfield this season, registering 29 appearances across all competitions, scoring nine goals and providing three assists in the process.

From his attacking midfield role in Carlos Carvahal’s side, Veiga has also registered four of his nine goals in games where he scored a brace – against Real Betis and Real Valladolid in La Liga.