Manchester City advance on deal for Abdukodir Khusanov as Lens’ asking price to be met | OneFootball

Premier League champions Manchester City are now ‘advancing’ on a deal to sign Lens centre-back, Abdukodir Khusanov, according to new reports.

Etihad Stadium transfer officials are keen to begin work on what many are describing as a major rebuild of Pep Guardiola’s squad, with transfer activity to be conducted across both the January and summer markets of 2025.

As part of that refresh of a hugely successful squad that some believe has reached its natural conclusion in terms of age, work will begin during the winter market with a simultaneous intention to revive a struggling season.

City find themselves sixth in the Premier League table and 22nd in the UEFA Champions League, with a place in the last-16 stage of the competition in serious threat with two games remaining against Paris Saint-Germain and Club Brugge.

While ageing legs have no doubt played a part in underwhelming performances, a decimated defensive unit due to injury and fitness problems has also contributed, and Manchester City seem ready to take action on such a matter at the earliest opportunity.

According to the information of journalist Ben Jacobs, Manchester City officials are now advancing on a deal to sign Lens centre-back, Abdukodir Khusanov, with the player also on the radar of several clubs including Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.

However, despite interest from the Premier League duo, it is stressed that City are currently ahead of their English top-flight rivals and are also willing to meet Lens’ asking price for the 20-year-old, which is said to be over £30 million.

For now, it remains to be seen what Manchester City’s immediate term plans are for the highly-rated centre-back, with some reports suggesting that a decision had not yet been made on whether to integrate him immediately into Pep Guardiola’s roster.

However, given the money being spent on the player illustrates a first-team signing, many are expecting Khusanov to play a role in Manchester City’s second-half of the season, with the hope of strengthening the defence for a difficult run of matches in the coming weeks.

There remains a chance too that with the Uzbek defender joining the club, Pep Guardiola could then look to shift the likes of Manuel Akanji and John Stones further up the field, and leave City with less of a need to invest in a new central midfielder this month.