Manchester City open door to sending Abdukodir Khusanov on loan immediately after signing Lens defender

Abdukodir Khusanov could be loaned out by Manchester City immediately after signing the centre-back, a new report has revealed.

The Premier League champions are keen on a deal for the Uzbek defender, who has attracted interest from throughout Europe’s traditional big-five leagues after a string of stellar performances for Lens in recent months.

The feeling in various quarters is that City would need to sanction a transfer fee in excess of £30 million to get a deal done for the 20-year-old, amid interest from Real Madrid, Tottenham, and Newcastle United.

The latter duo are likely to be priced out at that point, and City have reportedly already held conversations with Jorge Mendes over the financials of a possible move, with the Portuguese super-agent handed a mandate by Lens to get a deal over the line for the player this month.

But while Manchester City are keen to finalise a deal for the player in the coming weeks, there remains uncertainty over whether he is a player to come straight into Pep Guardiola’s depleted rearguard for the remaining half of the season and beyond.

That is according to the information of ESPN’s Rob Dawson, who reveals that a decision on what Abdukodir Khusanov’s immediate future would look like should he reach an agreement over a move to City has not yet been taken by the Premier League club.

It is explained that should City officials reach an agreement with Lens, all options – including joining Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad this season or staying with the Ligue 1 side until the summer – remain on the table.

As for the financials that are expected to be involved in a potential transfer, the report states that a deal for the Uzbekistan international is expected to cost around the £20 million mark this month.

That figure comes contrary to the belief of The Athletic’s David Ornstein and Pol Ballus on Tuesday, who reported in a new edition for the outlet that Lens are eyeing a deal in the region of €40 million, despite their keen intention to raise funds this month.

Manchester City are unlikely to remove any players from their existing first-team squad this month either, as the club remains aware that additions must be made and decisions over players’ futures will only come during the summer months.

Pep Guardiola and his players face a difficult run of fixtures in the meantime whilst Txiki Begiristain and his colleagues remain focussed on the transfer market this month, including Premier League away trips to both Brentford and Ipswich Town.