Manchester City are set to bolster their ranks within the academy at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City could sign ex-West Ham United centre-back Jamal Baptiste “in the next few days” at the Etihad Stadium, as transfer expert Fabrizio Romano exclusively outlines his first-team chances to GIVEMESPORT.
Pep Guardiola aims to pick up the best young talent for his Sky Blues squad this summer.
Man City transfer news – Jamal Baptiste
On Tuesday afternoon, Romano revealed that Manchester City were on the verge of agreeing a deal to sign Baptiste, who left West Ham at the end of his contract this summer. The 19-year-old will join on a free transfer and undergo his medical and contract signing soon, as City acquire another talent they hope to develop in their academy.
Baptiste may hope to find opportunities for first-team football this season after the Sky Blues sold Basque centre-back Aymeric Laporte to Al-Nassr earlier in the window. West Ham academy coach Carlton Cole once described Baptiste as having the potential to become the next Rio Ferdinand, indicating the teenage talent is highly rated within the game.
“There’s loads to be looking forward to at the moment, there’s a lot of young English prospects coming through,” Cole said on Inside Irons Episode Three in 2020.
“Especially Jamal Baptiste, who I’m a massive fan of. Well, he’s training with the first team at the moment (which tells you how highly rated he is] so I think he’s definitely a massive prospect. He’s going to be the next Anton Ferdinand, hopefully, or the next Rio. So, hopefully, we can keep these boys on the right track and help them transition into being a professional footballer full-time.”
And the centre-back has impressed suitors at Manchester City, having been identified by the European champions as a potential free-agent signing this summer.
What has Romano said about Man City and Baptiste?
Romano expects Baptiste to join City “in the next few days” but feels he will be a player for the academy and won’t currently be involved in the first-team picture.
The transfer guru told GIVEMESPORT: “I think Baptiste will join in the next few days. The medical tests are ready. It’s something for the academy, of course, not something for the first team at the moment. But he’s a player they always appreciated, and they feel it’s a good opportunity on a free transfer after he decided to leave West Ham.”
What next for Man City?
It has been a busy end to the transfer window for Man City, who must find a way to match last season’s historic treble-winning campaign. Romano has revealed that City will complete the signing of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Portugal midfielder Matheus Nunes pending a medical, with Tommy Doyle going the other way. The Telegraph’s John Percy claims a verbal agreement worth around £60m has been reached between the two clubs, after a week of negotiations.
Romano recently told GIVEMESPORT that City had enquired with Bayer Leverkusen about the availability of attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz but warned a deal was unlikely to be secured. And the imminent capture of Nunes could conclude City’s first team business for the summer, barring any late twists on deadline day.
