Southampton set to sign Man City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu | OneFootball

Southampton have reached an agreement with Manchester City over the permanent signing of goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, 90min understands.

Bazunu spent the 2021/22 season on loan at Saints' bitter rivals Portsmouth in League One, where he performed well enough to clinch the club's player of the season award.

The 20-year-old is also already firmly established in the Republic of Ireland squad, where he competes with Caoimhin Kelleher and Mark Travers for the number-one spot.

His displays have been enough to convince Southampton to sign him on a permanent basis. 90min reported earlier this month that the two clubs were close to agreeing a deal that would cost Saints £15m in total once add-ons had been taken into account.

Sources have now confirmed that an agreement has been reached, with City expecting the move to be announced in the near future.

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90min understands that Bazunu has penned a long-term deal at St Mary's, and he will be confident of clinching the number-one jersey from Alex McCarthy.

Saints prioritised signing a new goalkeeper as soon as it became clear that Fraser Forster would be moving to Tottenham instead of signing a new contract on the south coast.