Man City move for €40m wonderkid after leaving Rice to Arsenal – Romano

Suraj Radia

• 28 Jun 2023 13:08 BST
• 2 min read

Manchester City have entered the race to sign Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga after conceding defeat to Arsenal in their pursuit of Declan Rice.

City saw a £90 million bid for Rice turned down by West Ham in recent days and Pep Guardiola’s side have since pulled out of any transfer for the England star after Arsenal submitted an offer of £105m for the 24-year-old.

However, City are still in the market for a midfielder, having seen Ilkay Gundogan leave for Barcelona, and the Premier League champions are believed to have turned their attention to Veiga, who has a £34.5m (€40m) release clause in his contract.

PROFILE: Who is Gabri Veiga? The Celta Vigo wonderkid wanted by Europe's top sides

Liverpool and Chelsea have also been credited with an interest in Veiga but transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano has claimed that City are now considering the 21-year-old as ‘one of their options’ this summer.

Veiga is currently away with Spain at the Under-21 European Championships but he enjoyed a breakout season for Celta, scoring 11 goals in 36 games and winning the La Liga player of the month award in February.

While he still has three years left on his contract, Veiga’s appealing release clause has left Celta resigned to his exit this summer, with City seeing the youngsters goalscoring ability and versatility to play all down the midfield spine as the ideal replacement for Gundogan.

What does the future hold for Veiga?

Veiga was thought to be a top target for Liverpool but Jurgen Klopp’s side are believed to prefer a move for Khepheren Thuram or Ryan Gravenberch, while they have also explored a deal for RB Salzburg’s Dominik Szboloszai.

Chelsea have also monitored Veiga but the Blues are eyeing a more defensive midfielder to partner Enzo Fernandez, with Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia thought to be at the top of their list.

PROGRESS: Arsenal set to sign Rice as City pull out of deal

While the likes of Newcastle and Real Madrid have tentatively been linked with Veiga, City’s interest could see teams step up the chase to sign him, with a move to the European champions likely to be an attractive prospect for the Spaniard.

Arsenal, who have also been linked to the Celta wonderkid, are expected to reach an agreement with West Ham over Rice, while Kai Havertz’s move from Chelsea will be announced imminently, effectively ruling them out of any race for Veiga.