Man City 'increasingly concerned' as Arsenal take note in transfer market

Manchester City are reportedly increasingly concerned about losing star goalkeeper Ederson to the Saudi Pro League this summer. The Brazilian is yet to sign a new contract despite reports suggesting that the Premier League champions were preparing to offer him an extension in March.

Al-Nassr, who boast Cristiano Ronaldo and former City defender Aymeric Laporte among their ranks, are reportedly prepared to offer Ederson an eye-watering £900,000 per-week contract. That is understood to be four times the amount he earns at City.

According to the Daily Star, City are concerned that they may lose Pep Guardiola’s first-choice goalkeeper if the huge proposal materialises. Even a substantial pay rise would not come close to matching the amount Al-Nassr can offer.

It was reported in March that City were keen to tie down the 30-year-old to a new deal. He has two years remaining on his current contract, meaning his value will decrease over the coming 12 to 18 months.

City will reportedly demand £50million from Al-Nassr if their interest transpires in an offer over the coming months.

Ederson has won six Premier League titles since joining City from Benfica seven years ago. He was signed in a bargain £30m transfer from Benfica and has gone on to become one of the Premier League’s greatest goalkeepers.

A head injury suffered by Ederson against Tottenham in early May kept him out for the final two Premier League games of the season. Stefan Ortega played in those two matches as City beat Arsenal to the title once again.

But Arsenal may be keeping their eyes on the number of key City stars linked with a departure. The Gunners are widely expected to bolster Mikel Arteta’s squad again this summer, while City could have their own ranks weakened. That, in turn, could strengthen Arsenal’s hopes of finally beating their rivals to the league title.

Ederson has joined Kevin De Bruyne in having reported interest from Saudi Arabia. The midfielder refused to shut down that speculation.

He told HLN at Euro 2024: “At my age, you have to be open to everything. You’re talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.

“If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money. Before that, I had to play football for 15 years. I may not even reach that amount yet.

“Then you have to think about what that could mean next. But at the moment I haven’t had to think about that yet.”