Man City midfielder completes £5m permanent transfer to Premier League club

Wolverhampton Wanderers have announced the permanent signing of Tommy Doyle from Manchester City.

The midfielder joined Wolves on loan last summer, with an option to buy inserted into the deal. That clause has been activated by the Premier League side, who confirmed on Friday that Doyle will become a full-time Wolves player ahead of the 2024/25 season.

The 22-year-old, who made seven first-team appearances during his time at City, joins Wolves in a deal worth just under £5m and has signed a four-year contract. A sell-on clause of 50 percent of any future transfer has also been included in the transfer, as well as a buy-back option for City.

It’s a similar arrangement City have included in the sales of several young talents. The Premier League champions made an initial £2m when Aston Villa signed Morgan Rogers from Middlesbrough in January, and that could rise to just under £4m.

As for Doyle, his transfer won’t become official until 1 July, meaning he is still a loan player until the end of the season. He therefore is ineligible to play for Wolves this weekend when they travel to Etihad to take on City in the Premier League.

The Mancunian has become an integral part of Gary O’Neil’s plans and has made 30 appearances this season for the Midlands club in all competitions, scoring once. It’s understood Wolves chose to make his move permanent rather than it being an obligation.

During his time at City, Doyle rose through the youth ranks and eventually captained the Under-18 side to FA Youth Cup success in 2020. He also spent time on loan at Hamburg, Cardiff City and Sheffield United, and helped lead the latter to promotion and an FA Cup semi-final appearances last season.

“Everyone at Manchester City wishes Tommy the very best of luck as he embarks on the next stage of his career,” the club said via a statement.

“I’ve had many, many years as a City player, coming through the academy and eventually playing for the first-team, and I take great pride in what I’ve done for that club,” Doyle told Wolves’ website. “It’s nice to close that chapter and open up the new one with Wolves and try to progress as much as I can and keep enjoying it.

“I wanted to have somewhere where I’m stable, essentially somewhere I enjoy, and I enjoy it here. It’ll be good to do it all again next season.”