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Ederson Moraes: Manchester City sign goalkeeper from Benfica for £35m

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments199

Ederson
Ederson helped Benfica to their 26th Portuguese Cup win in his final game with the club

Manchester City have signed goalkeeper Ederson Moraes for £35m from Benfica.

The 23-year-old broke into the Benfica team last March and won the Portuguese league and cup double this season.

"I like everything about Manchester City," said Ederson, who will join the Premier League club when the transfer window opens on 1 July.

"With Pep Guardiola, City are growing more and more. He's putting in place a young team for the future. Those were important factors in my decision."

He added: "I have always had the dream to play in English football and now I'm going to make it true.

"Manchester City has an amazing squad. Next season, we will have to be focused to achieve the goal of winning trophies."

A world-record fee - but only in sterling

Gianluigi Buffon's world-record move for a goalkeeper from Parma to Juventus in 2001 was reported to be worth 53m euros, or £32.6m at the time.

But at current exchange rates, Ederson's 40m euros transfer is equivalent to £35m. It is a world record in sterling, but not euros.

Benfica announced the deal had been agreed last Thursday, when they also confirmed 50% of the fee will be paid to "third parties".

But the transfer could not be concluded until the Premier League was satisfied its rules on third-party ownership were met.

'There's a bit of Manuel Neuer in him'

Ederson Moraes
Ederson Moraes made seven Champions League appearances this season

South American football expert Tim Vickery on BBC Radio 5 live:

Ederson is a very different kind of keeper to Claudio Bravo in that he is bigger, much more physically imposing, and much younger.

He has ability with his feet and has a howitzer of a big kick, which paradoxically could help City play out from defence by forcing the opposing press back a bit. He looks confident on the ball, but how he copes with that style will be very important to how he does at the club.

There seems to be a bit of the Manuel Neuer in him. He's big and commanding; there's that chest of steel when he comes off his line very quickly. He looks a very promising goalkeeper indeed, but I'm not sure what his English is like, so communication could be a problem.

What now for Bravo and Hart?

Ederson has played for Brazil's Under-23 side but is yet to make his full international debut. However, he is in the squad for two friendly matches - against Argentina on Friday and Australia on Tuesday.

City manager Pep Guardiola has been interested in Ederson for some time and made room in his squad by releasing Willy Caballero at the end of the season.

His arrival will place more pressure on Claudio Bravo, who has had a difficult first season since arriving from Barcelona to take over from Joe Hart as City's number one.

England goalkeeper Hart has left Torino after a season-long loan. In March he told BBC Sport he was "surplus to requirements" at City and did not see himself playing for the club again.

The deal for Ederson is Guardiola's second signing of the summer, following the £43m arrival of Monaco's Portuguese playmaker Bernardo Silva.

Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

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199 comments

  • Comment posted by wozy, at 12:45 1 Jun 2017

    need to buy Cavfefe, much better

  • Comment posted by Clear as mud, at 12:42 1 Jun 2017

    This signing is Pep admitting his Bravo experiment didn't work and he's too pig headed to admit he should just play Hart.

  • Comment posted by Rovlad, at 14:03 1 Jun 2017

    ManCity made about £20M profit last year and since then spent more than £200M on players - 10 times more than they earned. How this could comply with financial fair play rules is beyond me.

  • Comment posted by Brad, at 15:53 1 Jun 2017

    So basically, this is what happened. City buy an attacking midfielder/winger when they don't need any more. And then they go and buy a keeper for a crazy sum when they can have Joe Hart for the amazing bargain of £0. Two unnecessary buys...Pep just can't allow people to say that he made a mistake putting hart on loan. What a joker.

  • Comment posted by User0636177925, at 13:08 1 Jun 2017

    I've heard he's already signed a pre-contractual to join Stoke City for the season after.

  • Comment posted by User0995303059, at 12:46 1 Jun 2017

    £35m for a goalkeeper with only 37 appearances in a second flight league?? Hahahaha!!!! Guardiola/Begiristain, what geniuses you must be, spend your way to failure my idiot Catalan/Basque friends, we'll all come to the airport to see you off!!

  • Comment posted by Yeahbaby, at 12:47 1 Jun 2017

    I wonder if he is better than Joe Hart? Doubtful.
    But, PEP will not admit when he is wrong - the sign of a bad manager without doubt

  • Comment posted by J3YB33, at 12:54 1 Jun 2017

    Good to see the only club in Manchester sticking with their legendary and all conquering youth policy. Ardwick born and bred this lad!

    #Etihadboroughcouncil

  • Comment posted by User0243924309, at 13:15 1 Jun 2017

    £35,000,000 for a goal keeper who is nowhere near as good as the one you loaned out to Italy.

    You could not make it up.

  • Comment posted by User0979874405, at 14:24 1 Jun 2017

    Hart has not been great at Torino this season(read the reports),was making mistakes for City and England at an alarming rate.I agree Bravo was a mistake but some of the posts on here are just stupid and maybe JEALOUS....Ederson,Stones,Kompany,Fernandinho,B silva,D silva,yaya,KDB,Sane,Sterling,Jesus,Aguero,Gundogan,with more to come and we have no chance of winning anything next season?..OK!!!

  • Comment posted by Haz, at 17:23 1 Jun 2017

    123 Rory

    Joe Hart - Golden Gloves 4 years out of his last 5 in the Prem.
    6 international clean sheets more than Neuer in 6 fewer games behind an infinitely weaker defence.
    Currently the only goalkeeper in European World Cup qualifying yet to concede a goal - and before you say it, every team plays minnows now and then.

  • Comment posted by kapnag, at 14:55 1 Jun 2017

    #75 spending £70m on 2 goalkeepers in 12 months is hardly calm and assured transfer policy

  • Comment posted by SW1701, at 18:01 1 Jun 2017

    @113 "Take note Man Utd. Why don't YOU lot try developing youth players instead of just opening the chequebook every time you realise your still hopeless?"

    Rashford? Lingard? Fosu-Mensah? Januzaj? Keane? They have as much home grown and/or youth team graduates as Man City. Yes they spend lots of money, but they do both

  • Comment posted by GILBAS 42, at 14:11 1 Jun 2017

    People should talk about Ederson if they knew what they were talking about.
    First as a Benfica fan I watched every single game that Ederson played for Benfica In one or two years time he will be the same as Neuer or maybe better.
    Second Ederson doesn't have any weaknesses. Strong in the air, strong hands, quick out of the goal, makes assists for goal and very quick thinker.
    It was a bargain

  • Comment posted by Bakewell Blue, at 17:46 1 Jun 2017

    As a lifelong Blue I love Joe's commitment to the cause and he is a good servant but he has always been a 7 out of 10 keeper, with occasional moments of brilliance and occasional bloopers. To compete with Real and Bayern we need a 9 out of 10 like Loris or De Gea. Ederson first pick Joe as back up (if he would accept it) and Bravo written off as unsuitable. Stones will come good. Believe.

  • Comment posted by User0979874405, at 14:06 1 Jun 2017

    I remember a United fan at work saying to me about De gea "he is not good enough,mistake after mistake"and as a City fan I told him he will come good give him a chance(he had only been there 6 months),and now people are coming on here moaning about the fee and saying "b tier league" etc:When City get rid of a player for 800k and buy him back a few years later for 90m is when you can have a go....

  • Comment posted by User0160598655, at 18:45 1 Jun 2017

    people here talking about hart, but hart is still a lot worse than bravo. has been useless at torino this season, one of the most overrated keepers around

  • Comment posted by nosamaj, at 12:50 1 Jun 2017

    The £32mil fee for Buffon is more like £46.5mil in today's prices as it has been THAT long since somebody paid proper money for a goalkeeper. What a bargain Buffon still looks now though one of the worlds best goalkeepers for the best part of 20 years.

  • Comment posted by Rogue Biscuit, at 13:44 1 Jun 2017

    As an Arsenal fan who will watch every team strengthen except of course Arsenal I say at least Man City are showing some ambition which is a lot more than Arsenal will show...

  • Comment posted by collymonster, at 13:55 1 Jun 2017

    For once the Barce group may have got a transfer right. Watched him in Portugal, he is a decent shot stopper, great left foot starts things of with massive clearances into feet. Not massive for a keeper, but agile & alert, big improvement on Brava, but my good lady is an improvement on him. Would also take PIckford to work with him and bin Brava, still need a strong quick dominating centre back.

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