Manchester City announce signing of Arsenal target | OneFootball

Sverre Nypan has officially completed his move from Rosenborg to Manchester City, following links with Arsenal and Aston Villa earlier this year.

Photo via ManCity.com

Manchester City announced on Thursday that they’d completed the signing of Sverre Nypan from Rosenborg, with the young midfielder signing a five-year deal at his new club to 2030.

“I am incredibly happy and proud to have joined Manchester City,” Nypan said. “It’s a dream for any young footballer to become part of this Club and to join such a group of world class talent.

“I am still very young with a lot to learn but the chance to be coached by Pep Guardiola, the best manager in the world, will only help me to become a better player.”

Photo via Nypan on Twitter

Back in June, David Ornstein broke the news that Manchester City were closing in on an agreement for Nypan, with other reports suggesting the club are paying €15m (£13m). The expectation is that he’ll go out on loan in 2025/26.

Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Girona all made moves to sign the player in January, and Villa seemed to be the favourites heading into the summer. But Villa’s move fell apart after they missed out on Champions League football, and City swooped to hijack it.

Photo via Nypan on Twitter

There wasn’t any suggestion of an Arsenal bid for Nypan this summer, so perhaps the pursuit of the 18-year-old could have been affected by the arrival of Andrea Berta.

The same thing happened with Joan Garcia, with Arsenal strongly pursuing the goalkeeper under Edu Gaspar and interim director Jason Ayto, before fading from the race after Berta’s arrival.

Berta has instead focused on a mixture of experienced first-team additions and cheaper squad-depth deals, bringing in Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Christian Norgaard so far.