Diogo Costa to Man City: Keeper legend on release clause being triggered
Man City are having a season to forget on all fronts, and the defensive performances of the squad are a big factor in that.
Only three teams in the top half of the Premier League table have conceded more goals than Pep Guardiola’s squad, which is an issue he has been working on.
City were active in the January transfer window by signing a variety of players, but bringing in two defenders was a clear sign that Guardiola wants his team to improve defensively.
The goalkeeper position has been something that Guardiola hasn’t had to worry about during Ederson’s tenure at the Etihad Stadium due to his high-quality performances.
| Club stats 2024-25 (all competitions) | Ederson |
| Appearances | 28 |
| Goals Conceded | 43 |
| Clean Sheets | 7 |
| Minutes Played | 2,520 |
However, the Brazil international has undergone a dip in form throughout this season which has led to pundits and fans questioning him.
Football Insider also revealed that there is a “strong possibility” of Ederson leaving City to join a Saudi Pro League club during the summer transfer window.
Man City may look to replace Ederson
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson has revealed he believes that Diogo Costa could be “out of reach” for City due to his release clause.
“Diogo Costa, 13 clean sheets, only conceded 19 goals playing for Porto, and he's a top-class goalkeeper,” Robinson told Football Insider.
“And think the way that Pep plays, he's very similar in the way that he wants to play out from the back, Diego Costa is only 25 years old still.
“The problem that they've got with him is his contract is till 2027. There is a release fee, like Pete said about these Portuguese clubs, minimum release of 75 million euros.
“There's a lot of clubs around the world, they won't pay that for a goalkeeper.
“Manchester City's financial situation, we know they've gone in heavy and probably a lot heavier than they wanted to in January because they didn't recruit in the summer.
“So somebody like Diogo Costa may be out of their reach, in all honesty, at that type of money.
“He's clearly not happy with his goalkeepers because Ederson hasn't been in great form, Ortega's not been in great form.
“He's rotated the two in and out of the side. There's a lot of talk that Ederson's going to go to the Saudi Pro League”
Ederson is being pursued by Saudi Pro League clubs
The possibility of Ederson leaving City isn’t a new rumour as this has been ongoing since the summer when his future began to be questioned.
Football Insider revealed last month (7 February) that Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, and Al-Ittihad have all entered the race to sign the experienced goalkeeper.
The six-time Premier League winner could be set to earn a significant bump in his contract by moving to Saudi Arabia, but it would leave City needing to strengthen in this area of the squad.
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