English Premier League champions Manchester City have named 26 players that will be traveling to the United States of America for the clubs’ pre-season tour and Arsenal target Oleksandr Zinchenko is going with them.
The 25-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium since May but that is unlikely to happen this summer.
Although he has reportedly reached an agreement with the North London club, Pep Guardiola still wants to work with him before the start of next season.
Zinchenko will travel with the squad today, July 16, 2022, to Houston with the rest of City’s players including new boys Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Stefan Ortega, and Kalvin Phillips.
Meanwhile, Barcelona target Bernardo Silva is also part of the traveling squad even though he desires to play for Barcelona next season.
During the preseason tour, Manchester City will play Club America and Bayern Munich before returning home for the FA Community Shield match with Liverpool the next weekend.
Pep Guardiola hopes to have a completely fit squad available for those games as they get ready for the start of the Premier League season, with the Citizens facing West Ham first.
However, Oleksandr Zinchenko is a player who might not be with City before the start of the season as he could still switch to Arsenal.
According to rumors, Arsenal and the Ukrainian have reached an agreement, and the 25-year-old is currently negotiating personal terms over a move to the club. Despite that, Zinchenko is still expected to travel with City to the United States of America.
Zinchenko will be on pre season flight to USA. Both AFC and City being in USA it should make a transfer easier to complete as Zinchenko would just have to make a trip from Man City’s base to wherever the AFC are situated once there is an agreement over fee
— Doc (@karthikadhaigal) July 15, 2022
(@Football_LDN )
However, as Arteta looks to boost his squad ahead of their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace, Zinchenko’s inclusion in City’s squad for the tour of the USA might be a huge setback for Arsenal in their pursuit of the player.
The Gunners are also visiting the United States as part of their preseason tour, so if both parties could agree on a move, it would likely happen over there.
Everton and West Ham United have also been mentioned as potential destinations for Zinchenko, but it appears that the Gunners are topping the race since Arteta wants to bring in another defender.
Although the Ukrainian star has been playing as a left-back for Man City, he can play as a midfielder and Mikel Arteta wants such versatility in his team next season.
Zinchenko joined Man City in 2016 and he played 128 games and only 76 came from the English Premier League. The 25-year-old is currently seeking regular playing time since he hasn’t played more than 20 English Premier League games in a season so far.
