Premier League champions Manchester City have signed Paris Saint-Germain prospect Claudio Gomes, the Sky Blues announced on Wednesday night.
“Manchester City are delighted to announce the signing of Claudio Gomes,” the club stated.
Gomes, who turned 19 earlier in the week, impressed Pep Guardiola with his displays for Les Parisiens’ age-group teams and is currently the skipper of the French U-18 team.
A defensive midfielder, Gomes is expected to play for the Manchester City U-23 side and has already jetted across to join the senior squad on their tour of the United States.
City fans can expect to see him in action when the Sky Blues face Bayern Munich on Saturday night at the Hard Rock Stadium.
The fact that the Frenchman joins them on a free transfer makes the deal even sweeter from City’s perspective.
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After splurging in the transfer market for the past two seasons, Pep Guardiola’s side are stocked in virtually every department.
They signed Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez for £60 million last week to bolster their attacking options and they are looking very solid as the 2017/18 Premier League campaign nears.
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City open their title defence with an away fixture, travelling to London to face Arsenal on August 12.
However, their Community Shield clash with Chelsea on August 5 has really got fans excited as both sides are expected to jostle for the No.1 spot in the English top-flight this season.
Considering the plethora of options Guardiola has at his disposal, it is highly unlikely Gomes will get much playing time with the senior squad in the upcoming season.
City, bereft of the majority of their stars, have been far from impressive in the summer. They have lost to Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool already and their tie against Bayern is the final one of the pre season.