Manchester City finalise agreement with FC Porto for midfielder Nico Gonzalez | OneFootball

Manchester City are on the verge of completing a deal to sign FC Porto midfielder Nico Gonzalez, according to various reports.

The move for the 23-year-old Spaniard concludes a month-long process undertaken by club officials to bring a new central midfielder into Pep Guardiola’s squad, largely as a result of Rodri’s season-long injury sustained last September.

It is believed that Manchester City had assessed a number of solutions, registering interest in the possibility of bringing Brazil international Douglas Luiz to the Etihad Stadium but only on a short-term loan agreement with no option to buy int he summer.

There was also understood to have been interest in Atalanta’s Ederson throughout the market, but it became apparent that a deal would not be possible at the finances desired by Manchester City, forcing them to move on to other targets.

As such, the Premier League giants have seemingly switched attentions to a profile of player starring in Portuguese football, further strengthening the clubs ties with the league and finally fulfilling a position that Pep Guardiola deems crucial to his operation this month.

That is according to the information of market insider Fabrizio Romano, who reveals that Nico Gonzalez is set to join Manchester City, who are expected to now pay the same amount as the player’s release clause but with the €60 million fee built through a ‘different structure’.

The 23-year-old is now said to be allowed to travel to Manchester for a medical with the Etihad Stadium club and the various signing of contracts as well as media duties at the City Football Academy today.

Additional reporting from Portuguese outlet Record also reveals that Gonzalez has already left FC Porto’s training camp on Monday, and as such will not play against Rio Ave in Liga Portugal action hours prior to the transfer deadline.

There is also a belief in some quarters that Manchester City’s heavy defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Sunday afternoon had a direct impact on the club’s hunt to sign Nico Gonzalez.

That is the claim from La Voz de Galicia, who report that the Emirates Stadium thrashing caused negotiations with FC Porto to accelerate and made City do everything possible to not lose sight of a player who they believe will increase in value in a very short time.

Nico Gonzalez could be thrown into action as soon as this Saturday afternoon when Manchester City travel to Leyton Orient in the fourth round of the FA Cup with sights set on progressing in a competition that could be their only chance at silverware this season.

The Spanish midfielder will also likely be available for the club when they take on Real Madrid in the last-16 play-off tie in the UEFA Champions League later this month, with the club set to register the player alongside their other new recruits this month.

Gonzalez will become the fourth first-team signing of the January market for Manchester City, following in the footsteps of Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, and Omar Marmoush in a spend worth over €200 million.