MANCHESTER CITY are closing in on the signing of Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens.
The Premier League champions have reportedly agreed a £33.6million deal to land the youngster this month.
But who is the rising star set to make his move to Etihad – and what kind of player will City sign?
First of all, Pep Guardiola gets a good defender.
Khusanov, 20, is not a creative player who should play at the back.
He is a defender's defender and apparently enjoys preventing attackers from scoring. He ranks in the 94th percentile for his defensive stats in Ligue 1 this season.
And he is a physical specimen of a man: 6 feet tall, powerful, strong, athletic and fast. Very fast.
Khusanov clocked a staggering top speed of 37 km/h earlier this season.
To put that into context, Usain Bolt averaged 37.58 km/h, setting the 100m world record of 9.58 seconds, although he reached a speed of 43.99 km/h during the 2009 race.
In the 2023/24 Premier League season, the 37 km/h barrier was broken only twice – both by Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven, who achieved a speed of 37.38 km/h and 37.23 km/h .
So it's safe to say that Khusanov would add a whole new dynamic to City's backline with his blistering pace.
He takes advantage of his physical attributes to be strong in the air and even stronger in the challenge.
His aggressive, pressing style and penchant for battling a striker means he is comfortable squeezing or intercepting opponents, as well as in one-on-one situations, drawing comparisons to Ruben Dias.
He's not dirty, having picked up just two yellow cards this season, but is fond of a last-ditch slide tackle and was sent off in November for a studs-up challenge against PSG's Achraf Hakimi.
His Lens manager Will Still summed it up succinctly: “Kodir is a tank.”
Interestingly, however, Khusanov is not Guardiola's typical centre-back as he is not the best with the ball at his feet.
He averages fewer touches, passes and forward carries than his centre-backs Kevin Danso and Facundo Medina – even though he plays in the center of a back three – and he certainly has room to grow in his passing abilities.
This will be especially important if you are part of a Guardiola team that dominates possession.
It has been a dizzying and meteoric rise for Khusanov as he stands on the brink of a transfer to England.
The Uzbek international and Olympian – who would become the first Uzbek to play in the Premier League – left his home country at the age of 18 to join Belarusian club Energetik-BGU in 2022.
Less than 18 months later, he signed for Lens in July 2023 for £84,000 and will now move on for 400 TIMES that fee, having only established himself as a regular first-team starter this season.
But City fans' excitement will be limited by two key factors.
Khusanov doesn't have much experience.
The youngster – who ironically has only celebrated five birthdays since he was born on February 29, 2004 – entered 2025 with just 24 Ligue 1 appearances to his name.
He has two in the Champions League from last season's group stage, including a 6-0 thrashing of Arsenal.
The other minor concern is verbal.
Khusanov is described as a very quiet person, adding the complications of the language barrier upon arriving in England, which could mean it will take time to settle.
But if the struggling Guardiola is so keen to spend big and not waste time signing him, he must be confident he can get the best out of Abdukodir Khusanov as City's next defensive strongman.
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