How are City coping with pressure of potential sanctions? Just fine!

IT looks like the official fee involved in Elliot Anderson's summer move to Manchester City will be £116m. What a shame, as £115m would have been nicely ironic.

- ANDY DUNN

That, of course, is the not-so-magical number of Premier League charges against City that remain outstanding.

And every time the club does business - particularly business of this big-spending nature - the absurdity of the delay becomes starker.

The acquisition of England international Anderson is a coup for City on a few levels.

Considering he was part of a Nottingham Forest team that flirted with a relegation battle for long periods last season, that fee looks large enough.

But there does seem to be an added tax on the price of defensive central midfielders.

Sandro Tonali had an average season in an under-performing Newcastle United team yet his club puts him in the £100m bracket.

West Ham, apparently, are looking for £80m for Matheus Fernandes, a nice enough player but one who has now been relegated with two different teams in consecutive seasons. He was not selected for Portugal’s World Cup squad.

Anderson is developing into an accomplished player, that is for sure, but a nine-figure price is still plenty for the 23-year-old.