Six times English Premier League champions Manchester City are about to sign another player this season, Stefan Ortega, as they look to strengthen their goalkeeping area.
The Cityzens have reached out to former Bundesliga side Arminia Bielefeld in an attempt to sign their goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.
Arminia Bielefeld got relegated from the German Bundesliga last season but Man City want to sign their goalkeeper as a backup for first-choice Ederson. Ortega is available for a free transfer after his contract with the relegated Bundesliga club expired last season.
The 29-year-old German could be on his way to Manchester as City’s second choice Zack Steffen is set to leave the club. Even though Zack Steffen who also plays for the United States Men’s National Team is on a contract with Manchester City which keeps him at the club until November 2025, he might not be able to stay at City for that long due to a lack of game time.
He’s currently fighting with Arsenal’s Matt Turner to secure a place as the first choice in the United States Men’s National Team before the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Steffen didn’t play enough Premier League games but was always used during the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. However, he made a huge mistake during the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool and Pep Guardiola reacted by saying; “It was an accident and he will learn for the future.”
On the other hand, Stefan Ortega played all the Bundesliga games for Arminia Bielefeld except one because of coronavirus. He performed well for the club but they finally got relegated.
The German was with Germany during the Euro 2020 competition and has been reportedly linked with a switch to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
Ortega is also good at passing the ball with his feet which is one of the characteristics of Pep Guardiola’s goalkeepers.
Recently, City announced the transfer of their goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu to Southampton for £12 million. Bazunu has been on loan since he arrived at the Etihad two years ago and never played for Manchester City.
James Trafford, an under-21 goalkeeper for England has joined League One team Bolton Wanderers on a season-long loan. While current third-choice keeper Scott Carson has already signed a new 12-month contract to stay at Etihad Stadium.
As for Man City’s number one goalkeeper Ederson has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2026. The Blues are still in the business of strengthening their squad ahead of next season and have the likes of Cucurella from Brighton and Philips from Leeds United on their list.
