Man City agree £33.6m deal for Lens defender Khusanov

Manchester City has reached an agreement with Lens to sign center-back Abdukodir Khusanov for €40 million (approximately £33.6 million). According to sources, the deal also includes additional bonus clauses, and the player will officially confirm the transfer after completing a medical examination.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is determined to strengthen the squad, following a poor run of form in recent months, with the reigning Premier League champions currently sixth, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool. The club is also in negotiations with Brazilian side Palmeiras to sign young defender Vitor Reis, but Palmeiras' president has stated that reports of them being eager to sell the 18-year-old are "incorrect." Additionally, Manchester City are also interested in Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush, the 25-year-old who has impressed for Eintracht Frankfurt this season.

Khusanov will become the first Uzbek player to join the Premier League, and once the transfer is completed, he will also be Manchester City's first major signing in the winter transfer window since the acquisition of Laporte in 2018. This highlights Guardiola's determination to reverse Manchester City's slump and address the serious injury issues that have plagued the team in the first half of the season, with several defenders suffering injuries. Ruben Dias has been absent since the derby defeat to Manchester United on December 15th and will miss Saturday's FA Cup third-round match against League Two side Salford City.

England international John Stones will also be unavailable for the match, while Nathan Ake has already had two lengthy spells out injured this season. Lens signed Khusanov from Belarusian club Energetik-BGU for just €100,000 (approximately £84,000) 18 months ago. However, he has progressed rapidly, making 13 appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season and 18 appearances for the Uzbekistan national team. Khusanov scored his first goal for the club in the French Cup match against Paris Saint-Germain on December 22nd.

In addition, Manchester City has also received good news, with 21-year-old Norwegian player Oscar Bobb returning to training after being sidelined for five months due to a fractured leg. This provides more options for the squad and injects new energy into Manchester City for their upcoming matches.