Manchester City close in on world record deal for new goalkeeper

Manchester City are on the verge of signing highly rated Benfica ace Ederson Moraes in a deal worth £34.8m that would make the Brazilian the most expensive goalkeeper of all-time, reports Sky Sports.

Ederson, 23, is due to arrive in Manchester on Monday for further talks with a view to undergoing his medical examination on Tuesday before City can announce their second signing of the summer.

Pep Guardiola has wasted little time in revamping his squad after completing a £43m deal to sign Monaco ace Bernardo Silva at the end of last week and more arrivals are expected over the coming months.

However, while Silva’s arrival raised question marks whether the Portugal international was necessarily what City required, Guardiola will hope Ederson can finally solve his troublesome goalkeeping position.

City shelled out nearly £15m to sign Claudio Bravo from Barcelona last summer after deeming Joe Hart surplus to requirements but the experienced Chile international struggled to adapt to the Premier League and even lost his place in the team at one stage.

Ederson has been heavily linked with a move to both Manchester clubs in recent weeks, and while he is highly rated, he remains completely unproven. His impending arrival means that Gianluigi Buffon will no longer be the most expensive goalkeeper of all-time after he completed a £32.6m move from Juventus to Parma in 2001.

City fans will be grateful just to have a goalkeeper that can make saves again next season. Of goalkeepers that made at least 15 appearances in the Portuguese Liga NOS this season, Ederson had the best save success rate (81.2%), while only Iker Casillas (19) kept more clean sheets than the Benfica shot-stopper (17).

For more stats on Ederson Moraes, click here to visit his WhoScored player page