Man City warned to up their game in race for surprise £25m transfer target – and face competition from two rivals for international starlet managed by Cristiano Ronaldo’s old agent Jorge Mendes
- Man City have been told the star will be sold but have been warned about the price tag
- The youngster brings international and Champions League experience
- LISTEN NOW: It all starts! New formation, some new faces, but the optimism is gone at Old Trafford
Manchester City have been urged to raise their game in their quest for a little-known international goal.
Mail Sport reported last week that City are considering a move for Lens centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov.
The 20-year-old, who has Champions League experience and played 18 caps for Uzbekistan, also attracted the attention of Tottenham and Newcastle.
And while the Lens CEO says Khusanov will leave the club, he has warned that neither approach has been acceptable so far. Lens is said to be looking for between £21 million and £25 million.
“Khusanov will leave, but there have been no good offers yet,” Lens chief Pierre Dreossi told DAZN.
“There will be departures and arrivals. We will have more than enough quality players to qualify for Europe.
Manchester City have been told to make a ‘good offer’ for transfer target Abdukodir Khusanov
The Lens star is an international from Uzbekistan and the French side are looking for around £25 million
Super agent Jorge Mendes, former manager of Cristiano Ronaldo, is in charge of the deal
Cult hero manager Will Still is in charge of Khusanov at Lens, which is seventh in Ligue 1
“If he leaves and the bids are interesting enough, it is mainly about finding an economic balance.”
Lens are having another impressive season and are seventh in Ligue 1 after appointing Will Still as manager in the summer. Still rose to prominence in 2022 when he was appointed by Reims at the age of 30, becoming the youngest coach in Europe’s top five leagues.
Khusanov started his career at Energetik-BGU in Belarus but has become a key player for Lens since joining in 2023.
That year he made it into the rankings of the 200 most promising youngsters in football, being rated as the 15th most exciting centre-back.
Lens have the second-best defensive record in Ligue 1 this season, with 15 goals in 16 games, just one more than Paris Saint-Germain. Khusanov helped keep seven clean sheets.
Super agent Jorge Mendes, who managed Cristiano Ronaldo, has been put in charge of Khusanov’s sale, as confirmed by Lens sporting director Pedro Lopez.
“We decided to do it (give the mandate to Mendes),” Lopez told L’Equipe
‘We have put all options on the table. We analyzed a lot and decided to sign a mandate together with Pierre (Dréossi, CEO of Lens). It arose from an analysis of the internal market, the price of a transfer and many other factors.’