Manchester City are being aggressive in the January 2025 transfer window out of necessity, as their collapse since the injury to Ballon d’Or winner Rodri has been so catastrophic that not even their biggest haters could have predicted such an abrupt demise from a team that was the most dominant in their league over the last five years – even above Bayern Munich in Germany.
Pep Guardiola has stood shocked at the state of his squad, as a poor summer transfer window in which Manchester City made an aging and rapidly declining midfield even more inadequate with the addition of Ilkay Gundogan has come back around to bite them badly.
There are issues all over the squad. Manchester City don’t have a supplemental goal-scorer alongside Erling Haaland, their midfield is too old, and their defense has been in shambles over the last few months, with Kyle Walker, in particular, looking like his days of starting in the Premier League are well and truly behind him.
Manchester City are being linked to some of the biggest breakout stars in world football during this transfer window, with most eyes on Eintracht Frankfurt sensation Omar Marmoush as Haaland’s new attacking partner.
But Man City have already signed an arguably even more intriguing long-term talent, as Fabrizio Romano has reported that Lens center back Abdoukodir Khusanov will soon be signed and sealed as a Manchester City player.
If current Manchester United center back Leny Yoro was a sensation last season, then Khusanov is a Ligue 1 icon by comparison. Obviously he can’t be after just one season, but Khusanov’s first six months this season at Lens have been so ridiculously good that he was whispered in transfer rumors linking him to virtually ever big club in Europe.
With teams like Real Madrid desperate for center back help, Manchester City signing Khusanov for an expected transfer fee of around 40 million euros is an example of successful, aggressive, and intelligent recruitment.
Khusanov is averaging 1.2 tackles, 2.0 interceptions, and just 0.3 dribbles completed allowed for Lens this season at the age of 20, and those numbers, at any age, are elite for a center back in any league, but they are downright scary for a player under the age of 21.
The Uzbekistan international can immediately be a part of the solution for Manchester City, but, more importantly, with Josko Gvardiol standing out as the only young bedrock player in the defense, Khusanov can be a part of the solution at the Etihad for years to come.
Even if Manchester City sign Marmoush, Khusanov will be younger, cheaper, and just as good at a position that is becoming even more important – and even scarcer – in modern football. Just look at how much clubs like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid could benefit from a player like Khusanov.
But, per Fab, Khusanov is about to be Guardiola’s in Manchester, and at a price half that of what two teams paid for Matthijs de Ligt at an older age, the Citizens are getting what could easily be remembered as the signing of the winter window this year.
