City’s owners have been keen to expand the City network over the last couple of years, with the new club in New York, as well as taking over Melbourne City and purchasing a minority stake in Yokohama F Marinos. Now, it seems City could be trying to expand their network again, according to Le Progres in France.
The Lyon-based paper is reporting that The Blues have sent representatives to Saint-Etienne’s training ground for the past two days, to negotiate a link between the two clubs that would benefit both.
The reports from France suggested the link would primarily be between the two youth academies, with City keen to get access to some of the talent that comes through the Ligue 1 club’s academy. The link would see City get preferential treatment in terms of signing or loaning Saint-Etienne youth products, and vice versa.
In a sign that this link could soon happen, one of City’s young players, Divine Yelsarmba Naah, a product of Ghana’s Right To Dream charity, is reportedly training with St-Etienne after spending some of last year on loan at Stromgodset in Norway.
The Independent are reporting that another City motive behind forging links with Saint-Etienne is to form a stronger bond to UEFA President, Michel Platini, who played for ASSE for four years, and he has reportedly maintained a good relationship with them since. The Independent believe City forming the link with Saint-Etienne is a way to improve links with Platini.
