Manchester City have reportedly reached an agreement with Anderlecht to sign left-back Sergio Gomez.
Following the departure of Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal, the Premier League champions are on the lookout for a new left-back before the September 1 deadline.
The Citizens had been heavily linked with a move for Marc Cucurella, but they were unwilling to pay in excess of £50m for the left-back, who has now swapped Brighton & Hove Albion for Chelsea.
City are now believed to have drawn up a list of alternatives, with 21-year-old Spaniard Gomez seemingly their preferred left-back target at present.
A report from The Guardian written by journalists Fabrizio Romano and Rob Bleaney states that City are now closing in on a deal to sign Gomez and will pay a fee in excess of €10m (£8.5m) for the attack-minded left-back.
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The report adds that City initially had plans to loan Gomez to sister club Girona, but Pep Guardiola is now tempted to keep the defender, who could provide first-team cover for Joao Cancelo.
Gomez's transfer to the Etihad Stadium is set to be finalised soon, with both City and Anderlecht currently in discussions over the final details of the deal.
Born in Catalonia, Gomez joined Barcelona's La Masia academy in 2010 midway through Guardiola's reign in charge of the senior team.
Gomez spent eight years developing in the youth system before moving to Borussia Dortmund in 2018, where he made only two first-team appearances.
The left-back returned to his homeland for a two-year loan spell between 2019 and 2021 with Huesca, where he gained regular first-team football and featured a total of 68 times in all competitions.
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Gomez then left Dortmund permanently last summer to sign for Anderlecht, who were managed by Man City legend and former captain Vincent Kompany.
The Spain Under-21 international enjoyed an impressive breakthrough season with the Belgian giants in 2021-22 and was named the club's Player of the Year.
As a left-back, Gomez ended the campaign with seven goals and 15 assists in 49 appearances across all tournaments.
Gomez excelled operating as a swashbuckling left-back, providing a constant threat in the final third, and in July the youngster revealed that he idolises fellow attack-minded full-back Cancelo, telling Mauveside: "Joao Cancelo is someone I look up to, I see similar characteristics of myself in him".
After sustaining a groin injury over the summer, Gomez was unable to feature in any of Anderlecht's pre-season friendlies, but he has since returned to full fitness and came off the bench for the final nine minutes of their Belgian Pro League win over RFC Seraing on Monday.
Oliver Thomas
