By Dr Dan Plumley

5th Dec, 2022 | 3:03pm

Finance guru: Man City to exploit Brazilian market as £114m deal all but done - 'huge'

Man City are set to benefit by proxy from City Football Group’s pending acquisition of Bahia – and the Brazilian side could soon become the second-most important side in the multi-club network.

That is the view of finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about where the historic outfit will fit in City Football Group’s portfolio.

A source told Football Insider last Tuesday (29 November) that Bahia club members would vote in favour of the group’s £114million takeover of their club the following Saturday (3 December).

City Football Group CEO Ferran Soriano has confirmed that has now come to pass, and the deal is expected to be announced imminently.

The two-time Brazilian champions will become the 12th club in the City Football Group portfolio and, besides Man City, arguably the most prestigious.

Plumley, who believes Man City can use the club as a recruitment outpost in Brazil, claims that Bahia could surpass the likes of New York City and Girona in terms of their importance to the network.

“I think one thing I would point to with this acquisition is that it is a huge market in Brazil,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.

“We know how much they love football in Brazil. That is clear to see. That gives your room for expansion here, maybe more so here than with other clubs.

“We know South America is becoming a go-to market with player recruitment post-Brexit. I think there is growth in that space for Premier League clubs.

“I think it’s reasonable to suggest that the club could be bigger than other clubs in City Football Group’s portfolio in the future because of the potential for growth in the market.”

In other news, ex-Fifa official claims Man City star John Stones lucky to escape major punishment as controversial footage analysed.