Manchester City are close to signing Benfica goalkeeper Ederson Moraes for £33m.
City manager Pep Guardiola has been interested in the Brazilian for some time and made room in his squad by releasing Willy Caballero on Friday.
After Sunday’s 2-1 Portuguese Cup final win the 23-year-old said it was “probably” his last game for the club.
The news comes on the same day that Joe Hart confirmed he would be leaving Torino after a season-long loan.
Guardiola is also understood to be interested in Monaco and France full-back Benjamin Mendy, 22.
After failing to win a trophy in his first season as City boss, Guardiola is planning big changes this summer.
The Spaniard made his first move of the summer with the £43m signing of Monaco’s Portuguese playmaker Bernardo Silva on Friday.
Caballero is one of five out-of-contract players already released by City.
Striker Kelechi Iheanacho has been the subject of a bid from West Ham and the futures of the four players that Guardiola allowed to leave Etihad Stadium on loan last season – Joe Hart, Samir Nasri, Wilfried Bony and Eliaquim Mangala – is uncertain.
Ederson’s arrival will place more pressure on Claudio Bravo.
The Chilean had a torrid time after arriving from Barcelona to take over from Hart as City’s number one, and made a succession of mistakes before losing his place to Caballero in January.
Although the 34-year-old was recalled for the win against Hull on 8 April, Bravo’s season ended just under three weeks later when he suffered a calf injury in the goalless draw with Manchester United.
Would this be a world record fee for a goalkeeper?
Gianluigi Buffon’s world record move for a goalkeeper from Parma to Juventus in 2001 was reported to be worth 53m euros, or £32.6m at the time. But at current exchange rates Ederson’s 38m euros transfer is equivalent to £33m. It would be a world record in Sterling, but not euros.
[BBC]
