Revealed: Man City were on verge of signing Man United target until Roma hijacked move
Roma ended up beating Manchester City and Manchester United in the race for the Turkish international.
A source close to Under revealed all about the transfer process.
Manchester United had been scouting the rising star for months but it was City that made an official offer last Thursday.
Manchester City €9 million upfront and €3 million in bonuses for Under but the initial deal was rejected.
The Citizens planned to sign Under as an investment, similar to their policy with Enes Unal.
See More: Who is Cengiz Under?
City signed Unal from Bursaspor in 2015 before sending him on loan to Belgium and then the Netherlands.
Unal ended up netting 19 times in all competitions for FC Twente last season, becoming the highest scoring Turkish international in Eredvisie history.
Villarreal signed Unal on a €12m move this window but City have included a buyback option which will remain active for another three seasons.
The Manchester based outfit revealed their plan for Under’s future during four-hour long talks with Basaksehir.
City had loan clubs lined up for the youngster and talks were ongoing until Roma hijacked the deal with a better offer.
Basaksehir decided to accept Roma’s offer which trumped their €13 million valuation.
The Italian giants also made assurances that Under would be brought in as a first-team player and not as a project.
Roma informed Basaksehir that they do not intend to loan Under out next season.
The rising star has been brought in as a replacement for Mohamed Salah who joined Liverpool last month.
Under wrapped up his debut Super Lig season with nine goals and seven assists in all competitions.
Basaksehir finished the season as runners-up and Turkish Cup finalists.
