Manchester City have Ederson as their No.1 goalkeeper, but Pep Guardiola wants a new shot-stopper to act as his deputy, says Kicker (h/t Sport Witness). City are closing in on a move for Stefan Ortega and could sign the 29-year-old on a free transfer this summer.
Ortega last played for Arminia Bielefeld, having re-joined the Bundesliga outfit from 1860 Munich in 2017 after leaving three years before. The uncapped German goalkeeper made 172 appearances in his second stint at the Bielefelder Alm, conceding 241 goals with 50 clean sheets.
It remains to be seen how much he would play given Ederson is first-choice, but Guardiola has clearly seen something in this goalkeeper to convince him that he’s a good No.2. Ortega is currently a free agent after leaving Arminia Bielefeld when his contract expired at the end of the season. His club were relegated to Bundesliga 2.
Kicker note that the German shot-stopper turned down offers from a host of clubs in Spain and Germany to sign for City, so his final season at Arminia Bielefeld clearly generated a lot of interest despite him picking the ball out of the own net so often.
In other news, Trevor Sinclair says Gabriel Jesus is ‘excited’ to leave Manchester City