By Mark Crellin
Last Updated: 28/05/17 10:41pm
Manchester City are in advanced talks to sign Benfica goalkeeper Ederson, according to Sky sources.
The proposed fee is in the region of £45m, which would be a world record for a ‘keeper.
The highly-rated 23-year-old Brazilian shot-stopper originally joined Benfica as a 16-year-old but he was released after two years and spent time with Portuguese lower-league side Ribeirao and then Rio Ave, before Benfica signed him again in the summer of 2015.
His possible arrival at the Etihad Stadium casts further doubt over the prospects of City’s England international keeper Joe Hart, who has been on loan at Torino.
City had their problems with the goalkeeper position last season following the controversial decision to jettison Hart.
Claudio Bravo was signed for £17.1m from Barcelona last summer but came in for criticism before picking up an injury towards the end of the campaign, while Willy Caballero will leave when his contract expires this summer.
And Ederson is potentially set to challenge Bravo, having won a pair of League titles at Benfica and been called into the Brazil squad in March, although he is yet to be capped at senior level.
He made what may prove to be his final appearance for Benfica on Sunday night as they completed the double by beating Vitoria Guimaraes 2-1 in the Portuguese Cup final.
When asked about City’s interest following Sunday’s match, Ederson told Portuguese newspaper Record: “I still do not know, but this was probably my last match with Benfica.”
A fee in the region of £45m would smash the world record fee for a goalkeeper, which is the £32.6m paid by Juventus to Parma for Gianluigi Buffon in 2001.
City are wasting little time in strengthening ahead of the 2017/18 campaign, having already completed a £43m deal for Monaco midfielder Bernardo Silva.
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