Manchester City targeting Championship loan for goalkeeper amid Premier League interest | OneFootball

The next rising goalkeeping talent to emerge from Manchester City is already being plotted for a move into English football’s second tier at 18 years of age.

City have sanctioned a series of loans for promising youth talents over the years, with permanent sales of academy graduates also driving profit to the club’s accounting books, notably in the case of Cole Palmer, Liam Delap and James McAtee in recent seasons.

The Blues also sanctioned a permanent exit for Oscar Bobb to Fulham in January, with the 22-year-old joining Fulham for £27 million on a five-and-a-half-year contract after struggling to make an impact in the senior squad this season.

Pep Guardiola boasts a strong academy contingent in his senior squad however, with Nico O’Reilly enjoying a stellar season as he switches between left-back and midfield after breaking into the first-team last term.

Rico Lewis has struggled for consistent starts this campaign, with Phil Foden also undergoing the ups and downs that characterised his 2024-25 season, a year wherein the England international underwent physical and mental struggles that derailed him from displaying his best form.

James Trafford expressed frustration at his game-time situation after keeping a clean sheet in Manchester City’s FA Cup fourth round win over Salford City on Saturday, with the 23-year-old expected to make a decision on his future come the end of the season.

Divine Mukasa and Stephen Mfuni joined Leicester City and Watford on loan from City in January, with executives at the Etihad Stadium recalling Max Alleyne midway through a loan at Vicarage Road in the wake of a defensive crisis last month.

The summer transfer window is also set to witness several loan outgoings from the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana progresses his rebuild of Guardiola’s ranks and streamlines the club’s various academy sides.

According to the information of journalist Alan Nixon, Manchester City are now ready to send highly-rated goalkeeper Oliver Whatmuff into the Championship next season, as they attempt to put off rival interest from within the Premier League.

The 18-year-old is said to be rated ‘very highly’ within the Etihad Stadium, and officials at the Premier League title challengers want him to play in the second tier from next season when he returns from his impressive season-long loan at National League side Rochdale.

At present, the report names Cardiff City as ‘red hot favourites’ for Whatmuff if they win promotion from League One, with former Manchester City coach Brian Barry-Murphy at the helm and still part of the Etihad’s ‘extended group of friends’.

From within the Premier League, Brighton and Brentford are reportedly ‘desperate’ to buy Whatmuff and Manchester City would ‘sell at the right – and very big – price’.