Fifa confirm Manchester City transfer probe
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Your support makes all the difference.Fifa are investigating a complaint by French side Rennes against Manchester City over the signing of 17-year-old defender Jeremy Helan.
Rennes made their complaint after City signed the French teenager earlier this year.
Fifa said in a statement: "We can confirm that there is a case pending with Fifa's Player Status Department involving Jeremy Helan, Stade Rennais FC and Manchester City."
City are expected to strongly contest the complaint, and are likely to argue that there was already a civil court dispute in France between Helan and Rennes before they signed the teenager.
The case follows Fifa's ban of Chelsea signing any new players for the next two transfer windows for inducing another French teenager, Gael Kakuta, to breach his contract with Lens.
Another French side, Le Havre, claim they are in the process of reporting Manchester United to FIFA over the signing of 16-year-old Paul Pogba. United, however, insist the move was legal and have warned the French outfit they may sue them if there are any more allegations.
Rennes' complaint was made before either of the other cases came to light.
It was The Independent that revealed the story, after Rennes technical director Pierre Dreossi told this publication: "We have referred this to Fifa."
He added: "For us it was strange to have no discussion from City and now, in the week after the Fifa declaration on Chelsea, I would hope that it will be the same thing for Manchester City.
"Kakuta signed up for just a possibility of a full contract. For Helan there was definitely one there, under the terms of the pre-contract agreement, because he had played for his country."
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