Claudio Bravo in action for Man City (Getty Images)
As per Manchester Evening News, Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo is considering a move to New York City at the end of the season when his contract expires at the Etihad.
Bravo, 36, Joined Barcelona in 2016 after 8 impressive seasons with Real Sociedad and won several titles with the Catalan giants under Pep Guardiola. He was one of Guardiola’s first signings at Manchester City and was expected to play a key role in goal for the club
However, he lost his place to Willy Caballero and then to Ederson, who joined the Premier League champions in the summer of 2017. The Chilean had a huge dip in form and has been in action only in the cup games.
Meanwhile, City have been inconsistent for the majority of the season despite being second in the league table. They are currently 22 points behind leaders Liverpool and have failed to defend their title.
However, they have beaten Real Madrid in the Champions League and are inching closer to qualification to the next round. They had earlier lost to minnows Norwich City and Tottenham had also beaten them recently. Therefore, if they are to challenge for various trophies next season, the manager should bring in reinforcements to several key areas.
And this can be done only if they offload some players who haven’t been up to the mark and not being used regularly. In that case, parting ways with Claudio Bravo would be a good choice.
The 36-year-old has mostly been on the bench and has also not lived up to the expectations ever since he arrived in England. Apart from Ederson, City also have the likes of Zack Steffen and Arijanet Muric, both of whom are on loan, at Fortuna Dusseldorf and Nottingham Forest respectively.
While City have one established goalkeeper and two other youngsters in their ranks, it would be good if they let the former Barcelona man leave. This would help them in saving their resources and they can also recruit important players in other positions.
Bravo was an instant hit at Barcelona but has found it difficult to settle to the conditions of the Premier League. He has seen a downfall in his career and his age isn’t helping him either.
Knowing he has very little to offer in the future, City offloading the shot-stopper would be a good move for both the club and the player.