Manchester City Allegedly Made Illegal £200,000 Payment to Jadon Sancho's Agent

Manchester City reportedly made an illegal payment of £200,000 to the agent of former Citizens player Jadon Sancho when the England star was just 14.

According to German magazine Der Spiegel (h/t BBC Sport), the amount was paid to the player's representative, Emeka Obasi, when the winger moved to City from Watford in 2015.

It's alleged that while City detailed the money to Obasi as part of a scouting assignment regarding players from central and South America, the money was tied to the youngster's transfer from Vicarage Road.

Der Spiegel also said that City wrote a letter to the player's father outlining their desire to sign Sancho when he turned professional, something that "alarmed" a club lawyer as it insinuated a financial offer.

As the BBC relayed, according to Football Association rules, it is illegal for any player to have an agent before they turn 16 and for financial incentives to be offered to any footballer below the same age.

City have dismissed the allegations, saying "the attempt to damage our reputation is organised and clear." The Premier League champions added they "will not be providing any comment on out-of-context materials purported to have been hacked or stolen from City Football Group and Manchester City personnel and associated people."

Per BBC, Sancho signed for City when he was 14 for a compensation fee of just £66,000. He left the club in August 2017 to join Borussia Dortmund, and despite being just 18 years old, he's developed into one of the best young players in Germany already.

The Bundesliga website's content manager Alex Chaffer summed up just how extraordinary he's been in the 2018-19 season:

Der Spiegel, in collaboration with Football Leaks, has published similar allegations about City in the past. In November it reported the Premier League club have circumvented funds to ensure they fall in line with UEFA's financial fair play regulations.

The way in which clubs acquire young players is set to come under intense scrutiny, as Chelsea were banned from making signings for the next two transfer windows on Friday by FIFA "for breaches relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18."