Guardiola cast-off? Ex-City striker offered to Vasco, rejected | OneFootball

The search for major reinforcements continues to stir things up behind the scenes at Vasco during this international transfer window. The football department was presented with yet another big name from the global stage: Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho, formerly of Manchester City. As revealed by the channel Atenção Vascaínos!, the player was recently offered to the board of the Rio de Janeiro club to strengthen the squad led by Renato Gaúcho in the second half of 2026. However, after a detailed analysis by the coaching staff, his name was not approved and talks were promptly ended at São Januário.

At 29 years old, the African forward currently plays for Celtic of Scotland and has built an extremely respectable résumé in Europe’s top football centers. Despite his impressive CV, the internal view of Vasco’s football committee was that the player’s tactical traits and financial profile do not fit what the club is looking for for the remainder of the Brazilian Championship and the domestic knockout competitions. The management led by president Pedrinho continues to map out other younger alternatives with greater physical intensity for the attacking sector.

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Kelechi Iheanacho played for City and was offered to Vasco – Photo: Manchester City publicity

Who is Kelechi Iheanacho, the striker offered to Vasco?

Kelechi Iheanacho is 29 years old and a left-footed center forward who stands out for his versatility, being able to play both centrally in the box and as a mobile second striker. Developed in the youth ranks of Taye Academy in Nigeria, he stunned the world when he was named the best player at the 2013 U-17 World Cup, a performance that secured his immediate transfer to Manchester City. Under the management of Pep Guardiola, the youngster earned important minutes in the high-profile Premier League and came to be seen as one of the most interesting attacking prospects in English football.

Later, the Nigerian enjoyed his most stable and successful spell in Europe while playing for Leicester City, the club for which he made more than 230 official appearances and won the 2021 FA Cup and the FA Community Shield. After the end of his cycle with the English side, the striker had a spell with Sevilla in Spain before completing his move to Celtic, a Scottish top-flight club where he is playing in the current 2026 season. For the Nigeria National Team, Iheanacho is a regular presence in international competitions, but his recent physical inconsistency weighed heavily in Vasco’s board rejecting the move.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.