How Man City will make £19.5m profit on signing who never played a single game

Manchester City have been handed an unexpected transfer boost with Yan Couto set to leave the club on a permanent deal. After spending last season at La Liga side Girona, the 22-year-old joined Borussia Dortmund on loan in the summer.

As part of the agreement to allow Couto to sign for Dortmund, there was an obligation to buy the player in the summer of 2025 for £25.1million. The Brazilian's switch to Signal Iduna Park came off the back of interest from the likes of Tottenham and Serie A outfit Juventus.

But following an impressive start to life at Dortmund and the belief in his long-term potential, the obligation to buy has been triggered earlier than expected. City will pocket around £25m in the summer, giving them a healthy £19.5m profit on the player.

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It's also reported that City have agreed matching rights on any sale by Dortmund for Couto, while there is a 'significant sell-on percentage' for any future transfer fees.

Couto's permanent move to Dortmund will bring to an end his time at City. Arriving at the Etihad Stadium from Brazilian side Coritiba in March 2020, Couto spent the following season on loan at Girona.

He returned to City in the summer of 2021 and was named as a substitute by Pep Guardiola for the 1-0 defeat against Leicester in the Community Shield. That proved to be his first and only involvement in the first-team squad at City, however, as he has since spent the last couple of years on loan.

Couto enjoyed a successful stint at Braga during the 2021/22 campaign before returning to Girona on a season-long loan. After another excellent spell in Spain, he completed a third loan switch to the Catalonia side in July 2023 and helped them qualify for the Champions League last season.

During his time at Dortmund thus far, Couto has made seven appearances in all competitions. He leaves City without having made a single competitive appearance across his four-and-a-half years at the club.