Manchester City are now closing in on signing a new star for Pep Guardiola, with the club having tabled a £41m+ bid to land their man this winter.
Manchester City are struggling
For the first time since then By Pep Guardiola arrival at the club, reigning Premier League Champions Manchester City are in a serious situation.
They have recorded back-to-back wins in their last two Premier League outings (against West Ham and Leicester City) but before that had won just one of their previous 13 games in all competitions, including the defeats that saw them out of the Carabao Cup . they are on the brink of Champions League qualification and are 12 points off the pace in the Premier League, having played a game more than Liverpool.
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Manchester City are in advanced talks with the £50m ace who is open to a January move to the Etihad
Pep Guardiola will be hoping Manchester City are closing in on their first signing of the January transfer window.
The unprecedented run seems to have stabilized somewhat in recent weeks, but Cityzens are expected to still be active in January transfer window to bolster their ranks and reinvigorate their squad, which has looked depleted for much of the season to date.
Rodri’s knee injury has them targeting a midfielder, with such Martin Zubimenti, Douglas Louise and Nicolos Rovella It has all connected as the Etihad outfit look to strengthen their options in the middle of the park. But now, Guardiola’s side could be closing in on a signing that would provide welcome support in another area of the pitch.
Manchester City have made a bid for the defender
This comes as Sky reporter Patrick Berger revealed that the Cityzens are “on the verge” of signing RC Lens centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov this January. City have “submitted a formal offer” worth “€50m including bonuses” (£41.6m) to sign the 20-year-old defender, with the player himself keen on a move to Manchester in the coming weeks.
Indeed, Guardiola’s side have already gone as far as offering him a “long-term” contract, suggesting the deal is almost done. Signed from Lens just 18 months ago, the centre-back quickly rose to prominence in France, alongside Brice Samba calling him a “monster” of a player earlier in the campaign.
Although football analysts disagree about his possible readiness for immediate action in the Premier League, one thing no one can deny is his sheer speed. The Uzbek defender clocked a top speed of 37km/h earlier in the season as he raced back to stop a counter-attack.
This makes him even faster than Man City’s fastest man, Erling Haaland, was clocked earlier in the campaign with a top speed of 35.7km/hwhile not far from the Premier League record speed of 37.38 km/h set by Tottenham defender Mickey van de Ven last weekend.
With Manchester City looking on the prowl this season, he will certainly provide energy and pace to Guardiola’s back line, something they have sorely missed as a result of Kyle Walker’s rapid decline in recent months. Have the Blues just found their next stalwart in defence?
2025-01-10 20:20:00
