Why Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma pursuit is witnessing a frustrating delay | OneFootball

Manchester City face an uncertain final week of the transfer window as far as Pep Guardiola’s goalkeeping department is concerned, as per a new report.

The 2023 treble winners have already overhauled their shotstopping options in this window, deciding against renewing Scott Carson’s contract and signing Marcus Bettinelli from Chelsea to replace the former as third-choice goalkeeper.

Meanwhile, James Trafford returned to the Etihad Stadium for £27 million after two seasons at Burnley as Stefan Ortega Moreno remains likely to find a new club with regular first-team opportunities ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

After failing to engineer a move to Saudi Arabia last summer, Ederson’s future at Manchester City has once again been a huge talking point of the transfer window as the 31-year-old enters the final 12 months of his current deal at the Etihad Stadium.

Galatasaray have agreed personal terms to sign the Brazil international, with a fee with City yet to be agreed after an initial offer worth €10 million for the goalkeeper is believed to have been rejected at the Etihad Stadium.

After eight seasons in England, Ederson is keen for a new challenge and a sale in the final week of the transfer window would help Manchester City evade the risk of losing their first-choice goalkeeper for free when his contract expires next summer, as happened with Kevin De Bruyne this time round.

Manchester City remain open to sanctioning a sale for Ederson if their valuation is met, with negotiations with Galatasaray believed to be progressing. However, City do not wish to sell and would continue playing Ederson should he fail to secure his desired transfer.

Moreover, Trafford’s horror performance on his senior home debut for Manchester City would have sent shock waves to the Manchester City boardroom and served as a timely reminder that Ederson remains a near indispensable part of the winning machine Guardiola has operated since the summer of 2017.

A new report from the Manchester Evening News has detailed that there remains work to be done over a deal for Ederson between Galatasaray and Manchester City, with less than a week left in the summer transfer window.

Elsewhere, Manchester City’s pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma – who has agreed personal terms with the Blues and wants to join forces with Guardiola – will only pick up pace if and when Ederson departs. City have held initial talks with Paris over a fee for Donnarumma.

Lastly, Ortega Moreno was informed by club bosses that he is free to secure a permanent move away from the club right after the signing of Trafford at the end of July, with the German still expected to find a club in the final lap of the window.

It remains to be seen how Manchester City’s goalkeeping department will look come the end of the window but it will have to take Ederson’s departure to progress a domino that will bring Donnarumma to the Etihad Stadium.