Velez Sarsfield announce plan to report Manchester City to Fifa over teen signing

Velez Sarsfield intend to report Manchester City to Fifa over the signing of Benjamin Garre. The 15-year-old recently revealed he will officially join the Premier League giants next month, when he turns 16. However, the move has sparked fury from the Argentine club.

Sarsfield said the transfer was "contrary to good faith, confraternity, solidarity and respect for the regulations applicable to football, all of them characteristics of any club with renowned performance and privilege as is in this case Manchester City".

Their statement added: "We also wish to emphasise that according to Section 19 of the Fifa regulations on the status and transfer of players (2016 edition), international transfers of players are only allowed when the player is over the age of 18, except for exceptional cases, which are specifically stated in the mentioned regulations."

Under Fifa rules, international transfer of players under the age of 18 is prohibited. However, Garre's father played professional football in Europe, according to the Manchester Evening News, and that means Garre would be free to play in England because the country is still part of the European Union until the decision to leave during last week's referendum is endorsed by the government.

The signing was seen as a significant coup for City, as the player had previously been on trial at Manchester United and was also reported to have attracted the interest of Barcelona. However, Garre opted to move to the Etihad Stadium over United and Barcelona, because the club has "one of the best academies in the world".

"I am going after a dream, to one of the best academies in the world, with the conviction that my football will develop," the new City signing said on his Facebook page amid interest from United and Barcelona. "That a club like Manchester City is interested in me makes me proud and while I understand that some may see it as wrong, it is a challenge I have to take, thinking of my career."

City have not commented on Sarsfield's complaint.