EXCLUSIVE: Insiders speak out on Man City transfers and reveal how flops like Savinho sell for profit

Manchester City are on course to make a net gain for the first time in five summers. It's common knowledge the Abu Dhabi-owned entity can spend with the very best, though City's shrewdness for selling well isn't discussed with nearly the same vigour.

A large reason behind that is the fact they haven't been subject to the same cycle of makeovers and overhauls affecting other Premier League rivals. Pep Guardiola fashioned a self-fulfilling prophecy of success over the span of a decade, which meant keeping talent was the major focus at the Etihad.

That hasn't been the case for his successor, Enzo Maresca, who inherited an ageing squad already losing several veterans in need of replacing. Then there's the Italian's own desire to stamp his footprint on the squad with signings more attuned to his tastes.

Luckily for Maresca, City have managed to raise a fortune by selling a raft of fringe players without really damaging the core of his team. The £75million sale of Savinho (now going by 'Savio' once more) to Tottenham is the best example of this, almost tripling their £30.8m investment in the player despite him doing very little in two years at City.

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It begs the question as to what City are doing so differently that their players seem to retain immense value despite underperforming. One agent told Mirror Football it's largely down to brand recognition, suggesting the mere association with City is enough to keep suitors lining up at big expense.

"The relationships that they have and due to the fact that they've been so consistent winning trophies every season, so they just feel like because the team is so good, the player might not shine in [City's] team but they might shine in another team," said the source.

"So if you look at Savinho, the reason why Tottenham bought him is because they feel like they can get the best out of him. Because he might not be City's level but he might be Tottenham's level. So I think that's one of the reasons why they always get so much profit."

Ahead of Tuesday's transfer deadline, City have invested roughly £265m in new players while selling close to £300m. The large majority of their outlay has gone on the midfield acquisitions of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest and Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi.

The club's profit margin would be obliterated if they conclude last-ditch deals for Chelsea playmaker Enzo Fernandez or Liverpool's Cody Gakpo. However, such moves may not be possible at all were it not for their savvy selling.

"The thing is that City, they've turned into a Chelsea where they've just found a method on selling players," added the agent. "Because even Chelsea, you have players that have been shocking in the Premier League and not played for a year or two and they're still selling them for like £40m or £50m."

The same source suggested City are supreme at maintaining relationships with certain peers. In a transfer world where the slightest action (or inaction) could affect a deal later down the line, City are kings of choosing when to assert their power.

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In addition to Savinho, James Trafford and Tijjani Reijnders have also netted profit for the club this summer despite meagre contributions in sky blue. Trafford joined Leeds for £45m, a £14m profit on the fee City paid to get him back from Burnley 12 months ago, while the £6m profit made on Reijnders' move to Al-Qadsiah is less confusing given the premium Saudi clubs often pay.

Nico Gonzalez also somehow managed to retain his value in a £50m move to Newcastle despite the fact many won't have even been aware he was a City player for 18 months. Even 30-year-old Rodri's £65m move to Barcelona represented profit seven years after he joined, though perhaps less of a head-scratcher given the Ballon d'Or winner just lifted the World Cup and has been at the heart of an era of City success.

When it comes to negotiations, City are described as "very straightforward" by one agent source, who has dealt with the club in the past. However, their modus operandi is all about control as they added: "If the leverage is in your hand, they don't bother."

A second agent, who also prefers to stay anonymous, said it's par for the course that clubs like City get an easier run at selling. Again, they posited it's simply a case of some clubs being almost too big to fail in that side of the transfer market.

"It's almost as if at the moment it's the normal trend," they said. "Chelsea do the same thing. So I believe it's a normal trend in football now and the hike of prices for players.

"Remember, these kind of big clubs as well, they go for higher-potential, top players as well. So it still reflects on their value, where they came from. And having that kind of brand, the City brand, Chelsea brand, it works like that."

The player representative pointed to the example of Andrey Santos, who joined Manchester United from Chelsea this summer in a £50m deal. Aside from a promising loan at Strasbourg, the Brazilian has done relatively little at Stamford Bridge but drove a big sum nonetheless.

They also highlighted Liverpool's examples of Ryan Gravenberch, who joined from Bayern Munich in 2023 for approximately £34m, and Bradley Barcola, who has joined in a total package worth £123m. Gravenberch has worked out well for the Reds despite the fact eyebrows were raised when they more than doubled his transfer fee after one fairly unremarkable campaign in Munich.

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The agent continued: "If you look at Real Madrid players, young players who haven't even made their first-team debut, they still get sold for £10m, £15m, £20m... Barcelona B players sold for [big sums].

"So it's just having the right brand. It gives you really good value. It's like having a Mercedes. You can have the same kind of car with Hyundai or Honda with the same sort of specs, but just [knowing it's a] Mercedes alone, the price is way different."

Not everyone is able to drive the same hard bargain, however, as rivals Manchester United have shown with numerous loss-making moves over the years. Evidently, some put their brand to better use than others.

There's a wider debate to be had around privilege how smaller sides are expected to close the gap if bigger clubs don't take losses like everyone else. But as long as suitors are willing to risk exorbitant fees on players they think will justify it, teams like City will keep selling them - and gladly so.