Manchester City are interested in signing Aston Villa star Fabian Delph as an alternative to Arsenal ace Jack Wilshere, reports the Daily Mirror.
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The 25-year-old is available for as little as £10 million because of an astonishingly low release clause inserted in to the contract he signed last January. Even this fee would double the £5 million that the Villans paid for Delph from Leeds United, but is far below what they may have got in other circumstances.
Seeing as the midfielder could have left for nothing this summer if he hadn’t signed a new deal it would seem that the release clause was worth it. The England international was also key for manager Tim Sherwood in the battle against relegation, with the former Tottenham boss appointing him captain as soon as he arrived at the Midlands outfit.
The Citizens are going after the Villa Park favourite as another option after admitting that their hopes of signing Wilshere were slim. Indeed it would be a surprise if the midfielder left the Emirates, having come through the youth system there and professing to being a fan of the club according to The Independent.
Both players are targets for the Sky Blues as they qualify as home grown players, according to the Mirror. With James Milner having left the Etihad for Liverpool this summer, manager Manuel Pellegrini has been left short of British squad members. It seems the Chilean is using the transfer market to rectify this.