Galatasaray manager confirms Manchester City star as ‘very important option’ in transfer market | OneFootball

The situation concerning Manchester City’s goalkeepers this summer has taken a fresh twist after confirmation of transfer interest from Turkey.

After securing the arrivals of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Marcus Bettinelli, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Sverre Nypan this summer, the focus at the Etihad Stadium shifts to further departures from Pep Guardiola’s bloated first-team squad.

Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker and Scott Carson have already been shown the door, with James McAtee nearing a permanent transfer for a fee that is expected to near £30 million. Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips have also been told to find new clubs before the transfer window shuts on September 1.

Bernardo Silva has taken the armband for the 2025-26 campaign, with Guardiola selecting the club captain for the first time during his Manchester City tenure after witnessing the untimely, mid-season departure of Walker to AC Milan on loan last term.

City have reached a full agreement with Burnley for the £27 million signing of James Trafford to bolster their goalkeeping department, with the Manchester City academy graduate and England U-21 international set to undergo a medical in the coming days before the transfer is confirmed by all parties.

Trafford’s pending arrival and a firm expectation that Ederson will be allowed to enter the final year of his Manchester City contract are set to witness the departure of number two goalkeeper Stefan Ortega Moreno, who has been linked with a departure this summer.

Manchester City are well stocked in midfield after the return of Ballon d’Or holder Rodri in May, which has given birth to speculation that one of Nico Gonzalez – who joined in January – or Ilkay Gundogan could be sold this summer.

Gonzalez was signed from Porto for £50 million and the 23-year-old’s future at the Etihad Stadium has come under question in recent weeks. Gundogan has long-standing interest from Turkey but is understood to prefer extending his Manchester City return into another year – following a brief stint at Barcelona.

As relayed by Turkish journalist Yağız Sabuncuoğlu, Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk has confirmed Ederson to be a ‘very important option’ for his side in this summer’s transfer market, but cast doubt on Manchester City’s willingness to sell.

“Ederson is a very important option for us. Will Manchester City let him go? That’s also an important matter,” Buruk admitted this week amid growing speculation that the Brazilian shot-stopper will end up remaining at the Etihad Stadium.

It is worth noting that there remains a strong expectation for Ederson to stay at Manchester City into the 2025-26 campaign, with Trafford set to arrive as number two and challenge the Brazilian for the number one goalkeeping spot.

Ortega Moreno will fall further down the pecking order and after three years at Manchester City, it could be time for the 32-year-old German to start a new chapter and one wherein he would be playing week-in, week-out – after spending nearly the entirety of his time at the Etihad Stadium as back-up to Ederson.