'You can buy a donkey for £200m!' - Thomas Meunier slams 'senseless' transfer market after former team-mate Ayyoub Bouaddi joins Manchester City for €100m

Manchester City recently secured the signature of teenage sensation Bouaddi from Lille for a staggering €100m. The 18-year-old midfielder had emerged as a top prospect in France, prompting Enzo Maresca's side to make a massive financial commitment to bring him to the Etihad Stadium.

The astronomical fee has drawn sharp criticism from Bouaddi's former team-mate, Meunier. The veteran Belgian defender, who shared a dressing room with the youngster at Lille over the past two seasons, feels that price tags have become completely divorced from reality. While acknowledging the teenager's immense talent, Meunier believes the current financial climate has lost all sense of proportion.

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with The Athletic, Meunier made his feelings clear on the modern game's financial excess. The Sunderland full-back was quick to praise his former colleague, but he refused to validate the massive transfer fee attached to the move.

“He’s just transferred for £100m,” Meunier stated when asked about Bouaddi's valuation. “Ayyoub is unbelievable. But, I mean, we don’t need to speak about money, because there is no logic anymore."

He then delivered a brutal assessment of how top clubs currently conduct their business. “You can buy a donkey for £200m and a very good player for £20m," he added. "There is no sense anymore."

While Bouaddi prepares for life in Manchester, Meunier is enjoying his own recent move to English football. A transfer to Sunderland from Lille was initially derailed by an injury crisis a year ago, but the defender finally secured his switch and is thriving. “It’s English football, exactly what I watched when I was younger,” he explained. “Full stadium, nice vibe, very good level, lots of intensity, everything you’re looking for. I like this organised mess, if I can call it that.”

The former Borussia Dortmund man admitted his only regret is not experiencing the English game sooner. “When I think about it, I’m a bit sad not to have signed for an English club earlier. But I did it, finally," he added.

"And I am really happy to have signed for Sunderland in particular, because they represent everything I like - everything I love, even - in football. This popular passion. This city, a walkable city, like where I come from. To be honest, I find a bit of myself in Sunderland.”

Meunier faces a gruelling schedule as Sunderland navigate a tough run of fixtures. After recently taking on Arsenal and gearing up for AZ Alkmaar on Wednesday, the defender will cross paths with Bouaddi when they face Manchester City next Sunday.

That high-profile clash will also see Meunier reunite with his former Dortmund team-mate Erling Haaland. As the Belgian bluntly noted, the prolific Norwegian striker needs no introduction, ensuring Sunderland face a formidable test against familiar faces at the weekend.