Manchester City round-up: Monaco defender edges closer; Ederson deal agreed; England number one lists demands

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According to Sky Sports reports, Manchester City are on the brink of securing the signing of Monaco full-back Benjamin Mendy over the upcoming days.

The report alleges that the 22-year-old defender has decided on a move to the Etihad amidst interest from Premier League rivals Liverpool, and a deal could be finalised by the end of the week.

City boss Pep Guardiola has made it no secret in recent months that his defence is in need of a major re-shuffle this summer, and it is believed Mendy would replace the recently released Gael Clichy.

The French full-back made 25 appearances for Monaco as they clinched the Ligue One title this season, also playing an integral part during their unlikely run to the Champions League semi-finals.

If agreed, Mendy would become the second player to make the switch from Monaco since the Premier League season finished, with midfielder Bernardo Silva joining in a £43 million move last Friday.

Manchester City have reportedly agreed a deal with Portuguese champions Benfica to sign highly-rated goalkeeper Ederson Moraes in a deal worth up to £35 million.

According to BBC Sport, Benfica have told the Portuguese stock exchange that the club has “reached agreement with Manchester City for the amount of 40 million euros” during the past 24 hours.

Yet the report also claims that the move can’t be officially sanctioned by the Premier League until issues regarding third-parties are resolved, with 50% of Ederson’s fee set to be split between others.

The 23-year-old made his Benfica debut last March and has starred ever since, keeping the highest number of clean sheets (22) out of anyone in the Portuguese league throughout the previous 15 months.

Ederson is set to become the number one at the Etihad after Willy Caballero was released last week – pushing Claudio Bravo further down the pecking order – and will link up with the squad next month.

Meanwhile, Manchester City goalkeeper and England number one Joe Hart has said that he won’t move to a club unless he is guaranteed first-team football after spending a year on-loan in Serie A.

After falling out with manager Pep Guardiola during his first summer at the club, the 30-year-old was sent out on a season-long loan to Italian side Torino – a loan that Hart has just returned from.

With the 2018 World Cup in Russia approaching at the end of next season, it is believed that Hart would prefer to remain in the Premier League and consolidate his status as England’s number one.

But reports in the Daily Mail claim that Manchester City won’t accept any offer of less than £20 million for the outcast ‘keeper – a figure that could scare off the likes of West Ham and Leicester City.

Despite his contract not running out until 2019, the imminent signing of Ederson from Benfica means that there’s very little chance of Hart playing any part in Guardiola’s future plans at the Etihad.

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