Manchester City are on the verge of completing a blockbuster deal for Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov and have two more transfers in the pipeline.
The reigning Premier League champions have struggled this season. They are sixth in the table after just over half the season, already twelve points behind current leaders Liverpool.
City have not featured regularly in the January window in the past, but that now appears to be changing as Pep Guardiola tries to get the team back on track. Numerous reports suggest they have completed a deal to sign Lens centre-back Khusanov.
The Athletic have announced that they will pay around €40 million (£33.6 million) for the defender, who will sign a four-and-a-half-year contract with the option of an additional year at the Etihad Stadium. Lens chief Pierre Dreossi confirmed earlier this month that Khusanov was set to leave.
Speaking to DAZN, he said: “Khusanov will leave, [but] There have been no good offers yet. There will be departures and arrivals.
“We will have more than enough quality players to qualify for Europe. If he has to leave and the offers are interesting enough, it is mainly about finding an economic balance.”
Khusanov may not be the only player City moves in January. They have also been linked with Palmeiras defender Vitor Reis and have reportedly accepted a bid for the teenager.
Work is still underway to seal his signature. These two signings match Guardiola's desire for a new centre-back, while he also wants a new central midfielder with Rodri still absent.
After the win against Leicester last month he said: “Kevin [de Bruyne] is back, but we need more in the middle and the back four. We have struggled with full-backs and centre-backs.
“We need help in some positions. The team is good, the problem is that we don't have the team and that makes everything difficult. When we are all together we are the team we were, but with key players absent for weeks and months it is so difficult.
“I thought centre-backs would be fit all season, but we have struggled. We need help with midfield and central defenders. The market is a market, it is not easy, it is expensive, so we will see what the club can do.”
Without defenders, City are also closing in on a deal for Eintracht Frankfurt's Omar Marmoush. The Egyptian was also linked with a move to Liverpool after an impressive first half of the season, in which he scored 18 goals and provided 12 assists.
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