Manchester City are on red alert after Sevilla boss Unai Emery admitted it would be best for the La Liga side if star striker Alvaro Negredo left the club.
The Citizens have lost two forwards this year with Mario Ballotelli and Carlos Tevez moving to Serie A giants AC Milan and Juventus respectively.
And with the Etihad Stadium outfit linked with the 27-year-old, Emery feels Negredo could earn the club a major pay-off thanks to his 25 La Liga goals last season.
“The most likely situation is that he will leave,” he told the Independent.
“The cards are on the table. Negredo is a very important player to Sevilla and he could continue to be one, either by staying here or by earning the club a big transfer fee.
“We know he could leave, but it would be the best for everyone. The club would be able to meet its financial obligations, and although we would lose a key player, we need to be reasonable.
“Like we were in the case of Jesus Navas, our aim is to produce new players that can reach the same heights.”
Negredo would be the second player to depart Andalucía for Manchester this transfer window, with compatriot Navas moving to the former Premier League champions last month for £15million.
New City boss Manuel Pellegrini knows Negredo well after managing in Spain for a decade and was unveiled to the media this week.
Should the Spanish international move to England, City would be signing a player only Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Radamel Falcao outscored in last season’s La Liga campaign.
Picture courtesy of WikiCommons, with thanks.
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