Barcelona make embarrassing mistake as Premier League transfer costs them millions

Cash-strapped Barcelona have missed out on receiving £8.5million after former midfielder Nico Gonzalez joined Manchester City from Porto. Gonzelez, 23, completed a £50m move to City on transfer deadline day, signing a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Premier League champions. The Spanish midfielder left Barca for Porto in 2023, with the La Liga giants having negotiated a 40 per cent sell-on clause and the option to re-sign him for £25m.

Prior to Gonzalez's move to City, though, Porto exercised a clause which reduced Barcelona's cut of any fee to just 20 per cent and also cancelled their option to re-sign him. That means Barca only received £10m from Gonzalez's move to City on Monday, half of what they were initially due to receive. Porto did, however, pay Barca £2.5m to change the sell-on clause. In a statement, the Portuguese heavyweights explained: "The club exercised in advance an option to purchase 20% of the capital gains from a transfer for a value of €3m (£2.4m).

"That also cancelled the option to re-sign the player that Barcelona had for a value of €30m (£25m), exercisable until June. 30, 2025. Barca retained the right to 20% of the capital gains.". Gonzalez joined Barca's famous academy in 2013, going on to make 37 first-team appearances. City boss Pep Guardiola was aware of his talents from a young age, having left Barcelona in 2012. The 23-year-old was City's fourth and final signing of the winter transfer window, bringing their spending up to an eye-watering £180m. "This is the perfect opportunity for me at this stage of my career. I want to test myself in England. There's no better club than Manchester City for me to do that," Gonzalez said after completing his move.

Will Nico Gonzalez be a success at Manchester City? Give us your prediction in the comments section. "There isn't a footballer in the world who would not want to be part of this setup. I know the reputation Pep has and I cannot wait to work with him. In fact, I am honoured he wants me to play in his team.". The former Spain under-21 international scored seven goals and registered five assists in 29 appearances for Porto this season. Primarily a deep-lying midfielder, Gonzalez enjoys getting forward and contributing in attack, something which will almost certainly be demanded of him under Guardiola at the Etihad.

Gonzalez could make his debut for City in Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round tie away to League One side Leyton Orient. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.