Man City agree deal for first summer signing – Romano

Manchester City have agreed a ‘deal in principle’ to sign teenage Hibernian goalkeeper Ben Vickery, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The 16-year-old shot-stopper has yet to make his senior debut, but his reputation is growing in his native Scotland. A member of his country’s youth national teams, Vickery is an exciting talent tipped for big things.

Indeed, he has been impressing so much that Man City are set to recruit him to bolster their academy ranks. A few days ago, news broke in Scotland that the reigning Premier League champions had opened talks with Hibernian to sign Vickery.

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Fabrizio Romano now reports that a deal is in the final stages of being wrapped up. Man City have reached an ‘agreement in principle’ with Hibs for the teenager’s arrival, although the specifics of his move haven’t been disclosed.

Man City and other Premier League sides have been forced to poach talents from Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish clubs due to Brexit leading to a prohibition on the signing of foreign players under the age of 18.

Man City sign Vickery

Given his age and lack of experience, Vickery is not expected to become part of Pep Guardiola’s senior setup immediately upon his arrival in Manchester.

However, he may eventually find an open pathway into the first team due to the ongoing uncertainty over Man City’s goalkeeping department. Ederson had offers last summer and could look to leave the club this year.

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Stefan Ortega, meanwhile, has not been able to be a totally reassuring presence between the sticks, so there will likely be some major upheaval among Man City’s goalkeepers in the coming transfer windows.

FootballTransfers exclusively revealed in January that Porto shot-stopper Diogo Costa features prominently on the Cityzens’ wishlist for the summer transfer window as a potential replacement for Ederson.