Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, has claimed the Premier League champions will not be held to ransom by paying £100million to sign Ruben Neves from Wolverhampton.
Wolves’ Neves is understood to feature on Manchester City’s list of targets as they seek somebody who can take some of the burden off its 33-years-old midfield stalwart, Fernandinho.
Guardiola, who faces Neves and Wolves at the Etihad tonight, said at a pre-match briefing: “A month ago, I started reading ‘Ruben Neves, £100million’.
“That’s not going to happen. We’re not going to pay £100million for a holding midfielder.
“Our wage bill for the players is eighth or ninth or tenth in Europe, so there are eight or nine clubs where the wages are higher than what Manchester City pay. We try to be stable in everything.
“When we spent a lot last season, it was because the team was old. It was 30-31 years old, and that’s why we did it. But we cannot do it every season.
“We have a limit and cannot spend more so that’s why we need to be careful with the players and try next season to see what we can do to improve.”