Why a former Manchester City youngster could earn them a cash windfall against Barcelona on Wednesday

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You get the feeling that City could regret letting Denis Suarez go so early. However, at least there’s one benefit to be had.

Manchester City could receive a windfall of up to 8 million euros if former youth teamer Denis Suarez cements his place in the Barcelona team, El Mundo Deportivo reports.

Though City have seized a seat at the top table of European football by splurging huge sums on the likes of Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne over the years, they have also become renowned for their extensive youth system and scouting network put in place within the club’s £200 million Etihad Campus, opened in 2014.

However, while Kelechi Iheanacho (below) has risen rapidly through the ranks to score prolifically for the first-team, and Aleix Garcia, Angelino and Pablo Maffeo are receiving special attention from Pep Guardiola, City weren’t always so attentive to the needs of youth.

Just two years after arriving in Manchester from Celta Vigo’s B team, City’s 2012 Young Player of the Year, Denis Suarez, returned to Spain with Barcelona after making just two first-team appearances in England.

After winning the Europa League on loan with Sevilla in 2014/15 and enjoying a superb breakthrough campaign with Villarreal last season, the 22-year-old is now a key part of Luis Enrique’s star studded squad at the Camp Nou, making nine appearances in all competitions this season.

Blessed with quick feet and typical Mediterranean vision, Suarez’s versatility means he has become an integral figure for the Catalan giants, filling in effectively for the likes of Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic when required.

However, City’s impatience could still be rewarded with a clause in his contract stipulating that Barca must pay the two-time Premier League champions 800,000 euros after every batch of ten appearances, El Mundo Deportivo report, with a maximum fee of 8 million if he reaches a century of games.

Coincidently, that tenth appearance could come against Guardiola’s City in the Champions League on Wednesday night. At least if the student comes back to haunt his former mentors, they will go home that little bit richer.