Manchester City looking to bring star back from Saudi Arabia in shock move: report

Manchester City were dumped out of the Club World Cup by Al-Hilal in the round of 16.

It added to their disastrous season, which saw them pick up no silverware for the first time in almost a decade.

They attempted some squad surgery before the tournament kicked off, signing Rayan Cherki, Tijani Reijnders and Rayan Ait-Nourti but it appears more signings may be in order if they want to reach their level again.

Manchester City line-up €5million man who 'fascinated' them at the Club World Cup

Al-Hilal's performance saw several people shine, but none more so than goalkeeper Bono, who made 10 saves, including one of the saves of the year to Savinho.

He moved to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Hilal in the summer of 2023 following an impressive 2022 World Cup with Morocco, but has now caught the attention of Manchester City.

Spanish outlet Fichajes believe Pep Guardiola and Co. were 'fascinated' by his performance against them in America and are reportedly considering bringing him back to European football.

They state that the situation of Ederson, who is recognised in FourFourTwo's list of the best goalkeepers in the world, and back-up goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, is not guaranteed, leading them to consider replacements.

At 34, Bono hasn't closed any doors and FourFourTwo understands he would find it hard to ignore the chance to play for Man City and Guardiola – though with City perhaps looking for someone younger to succeed Ederson, interest in Bono remains tentative for now.

Trasfermarkt value him at just €5 million, which should make any deal straightforward for Manchester City to pull off.

Ederson has garnered plenty of attention in the past few years, but remains a top-class goalkeeper. His ability with the ball at his feet is unmatched when it comes to goalkeepers and allows Manchester City to effectively play out from the back.

It remains to be seen if Guardiola would sacrifice this element in the short term.