Manchester City Finalize £33.6m Deal For Lens Defender, Abdukodir Khusanov

Manchester City has reached an agreement with Lens to sign central defender, Abdukodir Khusanov for €40m (£33.6m).

It was gathered that the deal includes additional performance-related bonuses, and the transfer will be finalized once Khusanov completes his medical examination.

Manager Pep Guardiola has been focused on bolstering his squad after a challenging period that has seen the defending Premier League champions drop to sixth place, trailing league leaders Liverpool by 12 points.

Man City are also in talks with Brazilian club Palmeiras over 18-year-old defender Vitor Reis, though Palmeiras’ president has denied claims that the club is eager to sell the teenager.

Additionally, City has shown interest in Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush, who has been in top form for Eintracht Frankfurt this season.

When the move is completed, Abdukodir Khusanov will become the first player from Uzbekistan to feature in the Premier League and City’s first major January signing since Aymeric Laporte joined in 2018.

This move highlights Guardiola’s commitment to improving the team’s performance and addressing the ongoing injury crisis that has left him short on defensive options this season.

Key defender Ruben Dias has been sidelined since the Manchester derby defeat on December 15, and he will miss the upcoming FA Cup third-round match against Salford City.

John Stones is also unavailable, while Nathan Ake has endured two lengthy injury spells this season.

Lens signed Khusanov for just €100,000 (£84,000) from Belarusian side Energetik-BGU 18 months ago.

Since then, the 22-year-old has progressed rapidly, making 13 Ligue 1 appearances this season and earning 18 caps for Uzbekistan.

He recently scored his first goal for Lens during a French Cup match against Paris Saint-Germain on December 22.

In positive news for City, Norwegian forward Oscar Bobb has returned to training after spending five months out with a fractured leg.

Meanwhile, Manchester United is reportedly considering using its striker, Marcus Rashford, for a swap deal with Victor Osimhen, who is currently on loan at Galatasaray.