MANCHESTER CITY DEFENDER CLOSE TO JOINING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINALISTS

Brazilian defender Yan Couto is close to leaving Manchester City and joining Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund. The right-back has spent the last two seasons at fellow City Group club Girona, helping the Spanish side finish third in La Liga last season.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Champions League runners-up are close to agreeing a deal for this transfer, with the package expected to be under €30 million. It has been reported that the player has already accepted the contract proposal from Dortmund, as he wants the club and is ready to travel to Germany for the medical once a deal is agreed between the clubs.

The player joined Manchester City back in 2020 from Brazilian club Coritiba and has never played in a professional game for the club. With four loan spells, the sale of Couto is yet another example of the strong recruitment and selling ability of the Citizens.

The Career of Yan Couto So Far

The 22-year-old Brazilian right-back arrived in Manchester on a five-year deal. He spent his first season at the club on loan at Girona who were in the second division of Spanish football at this point.

Upon returning from Spain, the defender made his first and only appearance in a City matchday squad, as he was named as a substitute in the 2021 Community Shield loss to Leicester City.

The former Coritiba man spent the 2021-22 season on loan at Portuguese club Braga, before then spending 2022-24 on loan at Girona for his second and third spell at the club.

No Pathway at Manchester City?

With Kyle Walker being a constant regular at City, with right-back stints also coming from centre-backs it is unlikely that the Brazilian was ever going to get a look in.

Rico Lewis is also another name that could potentially block Couto’s path to the first team, so a move away from the club seems to be the best scenario for both the club and the player.

For the club, they will receive €30 million for a player who has never featured for them, while for the player he can get regular game time in Germany.

More evidence of the strength of the City Group?

After spending 3 years at Girona, the player was able to develop as a player without moving around every year to gain experience. Playing at the Spanish club meant that the player still was able to develop under the ethos that the City group are trying to apply across the whole of its multi-club network.

Another example of this was Manchester City’s recent signing of Savio. The Brazilian was signed by Troyes, before being loaned to Girona and then sold to City, thus being registered for three clubs under the same network.

Summary

This is a strong move for all parties involved. The selling club get €30 million without affecting their playing squad, the player will get more game time at a club that is famous for player development, and the buying club get a promising player who can develop with potential sell-on value.

2024-07-27T14:02:18Z dg43tfdfdgfd