World record wages entice Eto’o to City
MANCHESTER CITY are on the brink of signing striker Samuel Eto’o in a blockbusting £25m deal after Barcelona admitted being unable to compete with the Premier League club’s gargantuan spending power.
City are willing to make Eto’o, 28, the highest paid player on the planet in order to pull off the grandest in a series of transfer coups. The Cameroon international reportedly stands to earn £180,000 a week after tax if he agrees to move to the ambitious Eastlands outfit.
And European champions Barcelona, themselves ranked the third richest club in the world with an estimated annual revenue of more than £250m, have conceded they cannot match City’s financial muscle.
“Eto’o has a stratospheric offer from City, which would convert him into the best paid player in the world,” said Barca president Joan Laporta. “It’s starting to become clear that he has this monster offer. He wants to stay but an offer like this is very difficult to refuse. If Eto’o accepts this stratospheric offer we will have to bring in someone.”
Barcelona are prepared to offload Eto’o, who has just one year left on this contract, now rather than lose him for nothing in 12 months’ time.
The former African Player of the Year, who scored in last month’s Champions League final victory over Manchester United, is set to earn more than Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid.
Eto’o is set to travel to Manchester for further talks this week, when City are expected to complete the £25.5m signing of Argentina striker Carlos Tevez from United.