Bravo arrives in Manchester ahead of reported £17M City move
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The man of the hour has arrived.
Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo landed in Manchester on Tuesday to complete a reported £17-million transfer to Manchester City.
Barcelona reached a preliminary agreement with Pep Guardiola's side over the weekend for the 33-year-old shot-stopper, who's now in England to undergo a medical and finalise paperwork.
Considering the recent injury to second-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, the reigning La Liga champion was reportedly hesitant to allow Bravo to leave before finding a replacement. It now appears Barcelona has struck an accord with Ajax to sign Dutchman Jasper Cillessen, who's expected to back up Ter Stegen.
Bravo will become the ninth signing of the Guardiola era.
Related: Barcelona allows Bravo to join Manchester City
"I cannot deny what everyone knows," said the former Bayern Munich boss. "The deal is not complete. After I will answer about a player who at the moment is not our player."
Bravo's arrival could also signal the end of Joe Hart's long tenure with City, although the Guardian's Jamie Jackson believes the 29-year-old will remain at Etihad until at least January.
Hart's expected to start in Wednesday's Champions League qualifier against Steaua Bucharest, after playing second fiddle to Willy Caballero for the first three matches of the season.
Since dropping Hart to the bench for the Premier League opener two weeks ago, Guardiola has actively searched for a so-called "sweeper-keeper" - someone in the mold of Manuel Neuer who can handle the ball with ease and launch attacks from the back.
Hart's footwork apparently isn't good enough to execute Guardiola's vision.
"The reason why it's important is that every time we made a good build-up, we create a chance or two chances," the Spaniard said. "The transitions are quick and we move the ball like this (clicks fingers).
"When you play long balls, okay, you can win the balls, and maybe some times I have that experience. But as fast as it is possible for the ball to go, as fast as possible it can come back. That's why I tried to insist to the players how important it is.
"But it's a process, so we need time to get better about our goal-kicks, about our build-up, and to create some movement to give some confidence to our attacking players."