MAN CITY ‘SET TO SIGN’ £42M STAR IN RECORD-BREAKING DEAL AS BID LAUNCHED FOR SECOND TARGET
Manchester City are reportedly on the verge of signing Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov, while they have also submitted a ‘proposal’ for Palmeiras’ Vitor Reis.
Khusanov is a 20-year-old centre-back who only joined Lens in July 2023, costing the French club £84,000. He has enjoyed a rapid rise since then and is now viewed as one of the best young defenders in France.
Khusanov has played 16 times for Lens this season, with his solid performances capturing the attention of top Premier League sides.
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in the Uzbekistan international, but they look set to lose out on him to Man City.
According to The Times, Pep Guardiola’s side are ‘set to sign’ Khusanov and make him their first new arrival of the January transfer window.
City are ‘closing in’ on Khusanov as they have entered advanced talks with Lens. The deal is expected to be worth £42million (€50.1m / $51.5m), with a portion of that fee made up through add-ons.
Khusanov is poised to become Lens’ most valuable sale of all time, eclipsing Lois Openda’s £41m switch to RB Leipzig in July 2023.
As TEAMtalk reported on Thursday, City are aiming to revamp their squad with the captures of Khusanov, Reis and Omar Marmoush this month.
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Man City hunt Reis after Khusanov
According to the latest from Fabrizio Romano, City have ‘presented their formal proposal’ to capture Brazilian centre-back Reis.
City are holding talks over whether Reis will be loaned back to Palmeiras until July.
This comes after sources confirmed to TEAMtalk that the Citizens have agreed personal terms with Reis.
City’s move for the 18-year-old was thrown into doubt when Palmeiras president Leila Pereira said that the club intends to keep him until the end of the Club World Cup, which runs from June 14 to July 13 2025.
However, City are looking to resolve this issue by agreeing for Reis to continue his development in Brazil before joining Guardiola’s squad ahead of next season.
Eintracht Frankfurt star Marmoush will be next on City’s list. There is ‘growing optimism’ among Etihad chiefs that they will be able to snare the in-form striker.
Frankfurt are preparing for life without Marmoush and have identified both Tottenham’s Timo Werner and Niclas Fullkrug of West Ham United as possible replacements.
City will need to work hard to forge an agreement with Frankfurt though. City value Marmoush at around £50m, whereas the Bundesliga side want £67m before selling him.
The transfer took a step towards completion on Thursday when City reached a ‘full verbal agreement’ with the Egyptian on personal terms.
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2025-01-10T16:46:38Z