Cash-rich top-flight outfit will need to splash the cash to persuade Ukrainians to do business.
Manchester City are keen on signing highly-rated Shakhtar Donetsk midfield player Fernandinho for next season, says the Daily Mail.
The big-spending Premier League club have already started to put in place recruitment plans for the following campaign, keen to avoid the same mistakes in the transfer market that dogged City last summer.
And one player believed to be on the radar of City head coach Roberto Mancini is Shakhtar’s Brazil international, who has just enjoyed an outstanding season for his club both domestically, as well as in the Uefa Champions League.
One major stumbling block, however, is the Ukrainian champions’ £23 million valuation of the 27-year-old, whose contract in Donetsk runs until the summer of 2016 and which also contains a £42.3m buy-out clause.
But Fernandinho, who has 52 goals in 180 games for Shakhtar since joining them from Atlético Paranaense in his homeland seven years ago, is currently considered to be one of the best players in his position on Planet Football.
And Shakhtar boss Mircea Lucescu has told City that they will need to break the bank in order to bring the player to Eastlands this summer.
“If City want to [sign Fernandinho], the clause is £42.3m,” Lucescu told Pro TV.
“If our players receive offers from teams higher than Shakhtar, we do everything possible to help them. Currently, I think Manchester City are not at our level.”
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