English Premier League powerhouse Manchester City and back-to-back La Liga champions FC Barcelona are reportedly close to a €25 million deal to move goalkeeper Claudio Bravo from Spain to England this summer.
City head coach Pep Guardiola had been searching for his preferred goalkeeper since he arrived at the Etihad last month as he was rumored to be unsatisfied about the caliber of the Manuel Pellegrini's incumbent starting goalie Joe Hart.
Guardiola had started backup Willy Caballero at the position in the team's preseason games and all of their matches so far in the newly-opened season, which indicates that the Spanish mentor is really not considering Hart as his shot stopper for the short or long term.
ESPN reported that Guardiola may finally be having his desired goal tender as Barça said to have "confirmed a deal in principle" with the English giants to buy Bravo.
The report mentioned that the Chilean keeper's start in the Blaugrana's 6-2 victory over Real Betis "looks set to prove to be his last game for the Catalan club" as Barça sporting director Robert Fernandez recently admitted that the two teams are in "the beginning of an agreement in principle" for Bravo's transfer.
Fernandez then disclosed that the Camp Nou residents are just waiting to sign a new goalkeeper to replace Bravo and then the deal with City will be done.
Speculations abound that Valencia goal tender Diego Alves could be the one to take over from Bravo in between the sticks for Luis Enrique's side, but there are still no official confirmation about the rumors.
Ajax stopper Jasper Cillessen is also rumored to be joining Barça for €14 million.
Meanwhile, Caught Offside noted that the 33-year-old Bravo had already "skipped training" on Sunday after the team's Saturday night game against Betis ahead of his rumored move to England.
Bravo's arrival at the Etihad is expected to seal Hart's fate with the team. Hart had been City's first-choice keeper in the last 10 years and it is expected for the 29-year-old Englishman find a new club and then adjust to his new surroundings after such a long stay with a single club.
Hart appeared in a total of 347 games in all competitions for City during his decade of stay.
