Premier League - Man City spend £1m on player they released
Manchester City have reportedly paid a £1 million fee to buy a player they released at the end of last season for nothing.
Sweden U21 striker John Guidetti, who scored in the 2-1 win over Vancouver Whitecaps on Monday evening, had been undecided over signing a new deal - with Leicester City and Dutch side Twente waiting in the wings.
It was reported last week that he had decided to extend his deal after being included in City's tour of the United States.
However the Daily Mail has reported that as City dithered over a £10,000 payment they would have to fork out to the player, he instead committed to Twente.
City are owned by Sheikh Mansour, a member of the ruling family in Abu Dhabi, which makes them the richest club in the world. They have spent almost £500m on players since 2008.
With the Swede having signed a Bosman deal in the Netherlands, the Citizens were forced to spend up to £1m to again secure Guidetti's signature.
Guidetti, who scored 13 goals in 17 games for the reserves last season, equalised late on in Vancouver with a far-post header before Shaun Wright-Phillips bagged an even later winner.
He has featured once for the first team, starting the 2-1 League Cup third-round defeat against West Brom and providing an assist for Jo.
City are struggling to hold on to star striker Carlos Tevez, who is expected to sign for Brazilian club Corinthians for £40-50m in the coming days despite helping the club to the FA Cup last season, the first trophy since 1976.
Executives Garry Cook and Brian Marwood are thought to be at odds with manager Roberto Mancini over the club's transfer policy, although they agree that Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero is an ideal replacement for his Argentine compatriot Tevez.