Paul Pogba worth just £31m but Man City squad worst hit as transfer values plummet in coronavirus shutdown

MANCHESTER CITY face £366million being wiped off their squad’s value if the season is KO’d — the biggest loss in Europe.

Clubs are scrambling for a solution to finish their campaigns as they stand to lose fortunes in TV cash.

Manchester Citys squad value is set to plummet by £366MILLIONCredit: Getty Images – Getty

And if no football is played and no contracts are extended past the end of June, teams across Europe will be hit hard.

Research group CIES Football Observatory calculated the total player transfer value in Europe’s big five leagues would decrease by 28 per cent from £29billion to £21bn.

And they estimate City stand to lose the most — a 30 per cent drop of £366m from £1.21bn to £844m.

Real Madrid target Raheem Sterling’s value — rated at £180m — would plummet to £126m.

Kevin De Bruyne’s fee would drop from £135m to £94.5m, with Bernardo Silva’s falling from £110m to £77m.

Several factors contribute, “such as player age, contract duration, career path and recent performances.”

Paul Pogba has seen his transfer value drop to just £31mCredit: AFP or licensors

For example, Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba would see his value almost halved from £58m to £31m.

Behind City and Barcelona in the list are Liverpool, who face a £314m hit.

The effects will be seen across the whole of the Prem, though, with decreases estimated at £1.1bn.

But at £2.6bn, the biggest impact from coronavirus will be seen in Italy’s Serie A.

And Dr Raffaele Poli, co-founder of CIES Football Observatory, anticipates a massive shakeup of the transfer market.

He said: “If there are no games, broadcasters will probably ask for some compensation. So of course, there will be a huge impact.

“Fees have doubled in five years, so the same player now costs twice as much as five years ago. Which is quite crazy.

“But I’m expecting this big inflation will stop due to the ensuing economic crisis.”

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk