Manchester City are set to sign their second right-back in a week with Real Madrid’s Danilo on the verge of following in Kyle Walker’s footsteps and joining Pep Guardiola’s side. City have reached an agreement with Madrid to sign the 26-year-old for €30m (£26.5m) with a potential €5m in add-ons.

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The signing would mean City have spent £76.5m on the two right-backs, with Walker costing an initial £50m. Guardiola was always likely to target the full-back positions after releasing Gaël Clichy, Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna at the end of last season.

However the manager views Danilo as also being able to operate at left-back and as a holding midfielder. So if Guardiola’s pursuit of Danilo and the Monaco left-back Benjamin Mendy is successful he would not sign another left-back or a defensive midfielder.

Guardiola and City had reached an agreement in principle to sign Dani Alves after he left Juventus but the former Barcelona player opted to join Paris St-Germain. The French club had offered the Brazilian almost twice as much in wages.





Danilo joined Real Madrid from Porto in 2015 and has 15 caps for Brazil, having made his international debut in 2011. Chelsea are also interested in him but City appear to have won the race. “[While] the deal is not done, out of respect for other clubs I cannot say anything,” Guardiola said.

City’s manager refused to rule out a move for Arsenal’s Alexis Sánchez despite Arsène Wenger’s insistence the forward will not be sold. Asked about buying the 28-year-old, the manager said: “Alexis is a player from Arsenal. Arsène said that – it’s because he knows more than me. And for the [potential new] players I’ve said the players are of other teams so I cannot say too much. I don’t like when the other team’s managers talk about our players so for us it’s the same.”

Guardiola, who is with the City squad in Houston on a pre-season tour which includes Thursday’s derby with Manchester United, ruled out Sergio Agüero departing amid reported interest from Chelsea. “You know my opinion on Sergio – I said [it] many times last season and he’s our player,” he said. “He will remain here.”

Guardiola also claimed Claudio Bravo will be a City player next season despite the goalkeeper’s troubled first campaign and the club targeting Napoli’s Pepe Reina. However, it is understood City are open to Bravo leaving if they receive an offer and the player asks to go.



City remain interested in Ryan Bertrand; Southampton’s position is they do not wish sell the left-back, though this may change. Guardiola has so far added Monaco’s attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva (£43.6m) and the Benfica goalkeeper Ederson (£34.9m) to his squad.

