Man City Transfer News: Sky Blues Could Still Sign Radamel Falcao?
Express. The Sky Blues were linked with the Colombian goal-machine shortly before he joined ambitious Ligue 1 club Monaco, and could be back in the hunt now that the French club may have to sell, just three months after plucking him from Atletico Madrid. Monaco, who have just been promoted back into the French topflight, shelled out £51 million on the 27-year-old in what was a serious statement of intent. But the Red and Whites may now have to offload the star or risk copping a hefty £75 million fine. That's because of a disagreement Monaco are embroiled in with French footballing authorities over tax laws. Currently, Falcao is on a massive, tax-free salary, a luxury which has not been afforded to other Ligue 1 clubs. And Monaco's rivals have claimed this has put them at a distinct disadvantage. French journalist Cyrille Haddouche, who works for Le Figaro paper, was quoted by the BBC, as saying:
"The advantage is huge in being able to convince huge players like Falcao to move to the club. "So the tax advantage that Monaco is considered as unfair , especially in a period of economic difficulties for all clubs except Paris Saint-Germain. "For example, former winners of the league, Lyon and Lille, must now sell players in order to reach break even."Monaco have since moved to deny that they may have to sell Falcao - who scored 28 La Liga goals in 33 appearances for Atletico last season - stating on their official Twitter page:
"The club categorically deny rumours about a sale of Falcao. "As a reminder, the Colombian attacker has signed with ASMFC for five years."However, that position could soon change, particularly if French footballing authorities take a hard stance over Monaco's apparent unfair financial advantage.