M'Baye Niang during his time with Empoli
M'Baye Niang during his time with Empoli (Image: 2024 Getty Images)
If you rewind 12 years ago to the summer of 2012, Man City were negotiating their first transfer window since famously winning the Premier League for the first time.
As Roberto Mancini looked to build on the foundations he had set in the title-winning campaign, he was also keen to build towards the future, too.
As such, that search took him towards a young talent plying his trade at French Ligue 2 side SM Caen. 17-year-old forward M'Baye Niang had already made 30 appearances at senior level and had earned comparisons to former City forward Mario Balotelli.
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Unsurprisingly, a lot of Europe's biggest clubs had taken notice and City, as well as Arsenal and Tottenham, were interested in taking the teenage talent to the Premier League.
The Mirror reported back then that City had stolen a march on their rivals and had made an offer for the £6million-rated forward prospect. Mancini believed he was good enough to go straight into a City squad that already had Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and Balotelli in their ranks.
However, a move never materialised and Niang ended up joining Italian giants AC Milan instead where, ultimately, he failed to hit the heights projected for him.
Loan moves to Montpellier and Genoa followed and he did eventually make the move to the Premier League in 2017 for a brief loan spell with Watford.
He would eventually join Torino in 2018 and his storied career has since taken him to Stade Rennais, where he won the French Cup, as well as Bordeaux and Auxerre in France; to Saudi Arabia for a loan spell with Al-Ahli and to Turkey with Adana Demirspor before returning to Italy with Empoli at the start of this year.
His return to Italy only lasted six months, though, and he now finds himself playing in Morocco with Wydad AC.
And, as luck would have it, the 2022 African champions were drawn into City's group in next summer's FIFA Club World Cup.
13 years after City chased his signature, the Senegalese international has a chance to show them his talents first hand on the big stage when the two sides meet in June 2025.
While his career hasn't surpassed early expectations, the now 29-year-old will be keen to prove to City why they were so keen to sign him all those years ago.