RSC Anderlecht CEO Peter Verbeke has revealed that Sergio Gomez broke down in tears in front of him in his office over a transfer to Manchester City in the summer.
Manchester City have long been in the market for a more natural left-back and the summer window saw yet another drawn out pursuit fail.
Former Brighton left-back Marc Cucurella was sounded out as City's first-choice option in the position, however differences in price tags and valuations meant no deal came to fruition, despite the player being desperate for a switch to the Etihad Stadium.
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Ultimately, Marc Cucurella completed a move to Chelsea, and Manchester City were left searching for an alternative.
While Europe had a number of highly-valued left-backs that could have emerged as serious options, City officials decided to look elsewhere and move for a more budget option full of potential.
That player was Sergio Gomez, formally managed by Vincent Kompany at RSC Anderlecht.
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Speaking to Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Niuews, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, the inside story behind the development of Sergio Gomez's eventual transfer to Manchester City has been detailed by the RSC Anderlecht CEO.
Peter Verbeke explained, "Sergio Gómez is a story apart."
“Actually, our intention was to sell Francis Amuzu and keep Gómez.
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"Contractually it made the most sense."
Verbeke continued, “At some point it became clear that Gómez absolutely wanted to go to Manchester City.
"He was standing in my office in tears.
"Financially, we could also do a great business there."
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Since joining the Premier League champions in the summer, Sergio Gomez has played a somewhat bit-part role in Pep Guardiola's squad.
Joao Cancelo has often occupied the left-back position when the club are at full-strength, but recent issues have meant that the Portugal international has been moved over to the right-back role.
Sergio Gomez was most recently called upon in the UEFA Champions League, in a 0-0 away draw with FC Copenhagen in Denmark.
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However, and unfortunately for the Spanish youth international, that outing was cut-short after he received a straight red card for a professional foul late in the first-half.
The result in the end was harmless to Manchester City's hopes of making the knock-out stages of the competition, after the draw between Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla on the same evening booked Pep Guardiola's squad a place in that stage of the tournament for 2023.
Topics: Anderlecht, Manchester City, Manchester City Transfer News & Rumours, Premier League, Football, Transfers
Freddie Pye