Manchester City reluctant to meet Gonzalez clause

According to multiple reports, Manchester City have contacted FC Porto over a potential deal to sign Nico Gonzalez. However, it seems the only way to get a transfer done before the winter transfer window closes would be for the Premier League champions to trigger the release clause in the midfielder’s contract, believed to be set at £50 million. As reported by the Telegraph, they aren’t prepared to do so at the moment and are hoping to reduce the price through negotiations.

City have already reinforced their squad this month, adding Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis to their defence and strengthening their attacking section with Omar Marmoush. But they are yet to sign a midfielder, a rather pressing matter given the long injury absence of Rodri and the lack of form of the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva. Matheus Nunes has come nowhere close to justifying the £55m spent on his services in 2023 and he currently serves as an auxiliary right-back. Rodri’s absence is mostly being covered by the joint efforts of Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan, with rather mixed results.

The need to reinforce the midfield section of Pep Guardiola’s squad appears quite obvious, but it remains to be seen if it gets done before the window closes on Monday evening.