Man City agree £33.6m deal for Ligue 1 defender and close in on replacement for Julian Alvarez
Manchester City have reportedly agreed a €40m (£33.6m) deal to sign Lens centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov, although that is not expected to be the end of their mid-season investment.
Khusanov, the 20-year-old Uzbekistan international who joined Lens for just a paltry €100,000 (£84,000) 18 months ago, had attracted interest from Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur this month. The 6’1 right-footed player bounced around the fringes of the French club’s first team last season after making a significant move from Belarusian outfit Energetik-BGU Minsk in 2023.
Now an established cog in the heart of Will Still’s defensive backline, Khusanov is set to sign a four-and-a-half-year deal with Manchester City, according to The Athletic.
The arrival of the raw centre-back is just the first move in what promises to be a busy January Pep Guardiolaextraordinary champions.
City are “close” to completing a deal for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush, Fabrizio Romano reports. A move for the former Liverpool target appears to have stalled after the Bundesliga club set up a €80m (£67m) asking price. Despite this, City have agreed personal terms with Marmoush and are now “progressing rapidly” in talks with the club over a suitable fee.
The official announcement could take place next week.
Romano claims Guardiola sees Marmoush as “the perfect player to replace Julian Alvarez”. Argentina’s World Cup winner has been sold Atletico Madrid during the summer for an amount of around £81.5 million. Veteran attacking midfielder Ilkay Gundogan was the only player to arrive at the Etihad in the summer window who shared any characteristics with Alvarez.
Without another attacking outlet, the goalscoring burden fell on the broad shoulders of Erling Haaland. City’s prolific number nine has an impressive 16 Premier League goals this season, but left back Josko Guardiol is the club’s second top scorer with only four. Mateo Kovačić (three) is the only player with more than two top goals this season.
Marmoush scored 13 goals in the first 15 Bundesliga match – a result that was surpassed only by Harry Kane from Bayern Munich in this period.
City is also in advanced discussions with Palmeiras centre-back Vitor Reis as Guardiola’s side turn to the transfer market in a desperate bid to salvage a season that has currently seen them slump to sixth in the Premier League table.
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