Manchester City close in on signing of new goalkeeper – Contract offer submitted to player | OneFootball

Premier League champions Manchester City are closing in on the signing of a new youth talent in the goalkeeper position, according to reports.

It follows a run of top-level investment from Etihad Stadium officials during the January transfer window in which four new first-team players were brought into Pep Guardiola’s squad for the remainder of the campaign and beyond.

Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis strengthened the rearguard via transfers from RC Lens and Palmeiras respectively, while Nico Gonzalez sured up the midfield from FC Porto, and Omar Marmoush brought added firepower into attack from Eintracht Frankfurt.

However, the winter market also saw a number of youth names brought into Manchester City and the wider City Football Group picture, with Christian McFarlane arriving from New York City FC and linking up with the Etihad club’s Academy system immediately.

Elsewhere and Juma Bah also arrived from Real Valladolid in La Liga with a reputation as being one of the most highly-rated central defensive talents in the game at present, and was handed a loan deal with RC Lens in France until the end of the campaign.

And the strategy of recruiting players in their early years before transfer valuations skyrocket through development has continued, with Manchester City looking north of the English border and into the Scottish game.

That is according to the information of Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, who reports that Manchester City are now in advanced talks to sign Hibernian’s teenage goalkeeper, Ben Vickery.

It is claimed that scouts from the Etihad Stadium have been making ‘regular checks’ on the 16-year-old shot-stopper and have pushed to bring the player to the club with negotiations over a transfer nearly complete after submitting a contract offer to the Scotland youth international.

It is highly unlikely that Vickery is being viewed as a first-team talent although the youngster will take plenty of encouragement from Manchester City’s track record when it comes to developing goalkeepers.

Academy graduate James Trafford has since gone on to be Burnley’s number one goalkeeper and an England international since leaving Manchester City, and he could yet join Newcastle United in a big-money move next summer.

There has also been examples of academy success through Arijanet Muric and his ventures into senior men’s football with Burnley and Ipswich Town, while Gavin Bazunu has starred at Southampton and Standard Liege.