A report has explained why Manchester City have been permitted to sign Savio and yet, Manchester United are not allowed to make a move for Jean Clair-Todibo.
In April, it was claimed that the Brazilian winger is set to be in City’s pre-season squad.
On Wednesday, however, Fabrizio Romano claimed that as per UEFA regulations, clubs with the same ownership who are competing in the same European competition are not allowed to engage in transfer dealings — with Sir Jim Ratcliffe owning both Nice and being a stakeholder at United while both teams playing in the Europa League next season.
The transfer involving the Frenchman is deemed to be “highly unlikely” to go through, despite all parties being keen on completing a deal for months.
This revelation prompted the question regarding why Manchester City were allowed to sign Savio — considering their sister club, Girona, who he played for last season will also be in the Champions League in the following campaign.
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UEFA rules mean Man City can not Savio but Man United cannot sign Jean-Clair Todibo
As per a report by The Telegraph, unlike Manchester United in their pursuit for Todibo, Manchester City agreed with CFG club ESTAC Troyes over a deal to sign Savio before UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.
The 20-year-old was only on loan at Girona but his parent club are the Ligue 2 side — who will not be participating in the Champions League, unlike City in the 2024/2025 season.
It has also been stated that Manchester City look set to announce the signing of Savio in July.
The report claimed that it remains to be seen whether UEFA prohibit clubs under the same ownership group from doing any transfer dealings.
Currently, the rules only come in if both clubs in question are competing in the same European competition.
While Manchester United must be frustrated not to be able to sign Todibo, Manchester City will be delighted to discover that their potential acquisition of Savio is not at risk.