Manchester City will reject Saudi Pro League interest in Ederson unless the goalkeeper asks for a transfer, according to a report.
Al Ittihad, who have the financial might of the Saudi Public Investment Fund behind them, have told the Brazil international’s representatives they are interested in signing him, ESPN has said.
City back themselves to find a replacement of Ederson’s quality but will only allow the 30-year-old to leave if he asked for a transfer, the outlet cited a source as saying.
The six-time Premier League winner made 43 appearances in all competitions for City in 2023/24, with only Golden Glove winner David Raya, of Arsenal and Spain, and Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford beating his total of 10 top-flight clean sheets.
No current Premier League goalkeeper has stopped the opposition from scoring in the division on more occasions than the 112 achieved by Ederson.
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The former player for Portuguese clubs Ribeirao and Rio Ave joined City for £35 million from Benfica in 2017 and has made more than 300 appearances since then.
Managed by Argentinian Marcelo Gallardo, Al Ittihad secured their ninth Saudi title in 2023 but finished fifth last season.
Their most high-profile squad members include France World Cup winner N’Golo Kante, ex-Liverpool midfielder Fabinho – a former international team-mate of Ederson – and 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema.
Former Celtic winger Jota, who played with Ederson in Benfica’s youth ranks, is also among their stars.
Ederson transfer news: ‘Saudi interest’
Speaking this week, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said there is a “concrete chance” of Ederson moving on this summer, although the winner of Fifa’s Best Goalkeeper Award in 2023 is under contract at City until 2026.
“There is interest from Saudi and other clubs, so we could see some movement in the goalkeeper market this summer,” said Romano (via TeamTalk), adding that the situation could be influenced by whether the likes of Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak, Arsenal understudy Aaron Ramsdale and Athletico Paranaense’s Benso stay at their clubs.
“It looks like Ederson could also be part of this domino. Man City will leave it to the player – they are aware of Saudi interest and won’t stand in his way.
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“Man City are considering moving for another goalkeeper in the summer, and also they have Stefan Ortega at the club and he’s been fantastic… in terms of a replacement, I personally think the best fit for them could be Ortega.
“He’s shown he’s a fantastic goalkeeper and, in my opinion, he’s ready to be their first choice.”
