'I don't play for City yet' – Midfielder casts doubt over Etihad Stadium transfer
City have been working on a deal for the 18-year-old central midfielder as Hugo Viana progresses a major change of guard at the Etihad Stadium after replacing Txiki Begiristain as director of football earlier this summer.
Viana has already overseen the arrival(s) of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, Marcus Bettinelli and Rayan Cherki in this transfer window, with Manchester City making an early statement of intent ahead of the new season after enduring a sub-par 2024-25 campaign.
A meagre third-place Premier League, a Round of 16 exit in the UEFA Champions League and defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final in the recent campaign has prompted officials at the Etihad Stadium to conduct a ruthless audit of Guardiola's first-team squad.
After a strong start to the transfer window, Manchester City are understood to have won the race to sign Sverre Nypan from Rosenborg for an amount that is set to record the highest transfer fee paid for a player coming out of Norway.
Manchester City's midfield has already undergone major change in this window, with Reijnders and Cherki joining in after club bosses decided against offering a new deal to Kevin De Bruyne, who has joined Napoli on a free transfer after agreeing a two-year contract with the newly-crowned Serie A champions.
After returning home from their FIFA Club World Cup commitments in the United States in June, Viana and co are believed to be shifted their focus on outgoings to streamline Guardiola's bloated squad and cut the first-team wage bill before the new Premier League campaign begins in August.
City have already sold Kyle Walker to Burnley in a deal that could fetch the club £5 million. Maximo Perrone is set to join Como on a permanent deal, with James McAtee also expected to leave permanently. Kalvin Phillips and Jack Grealish have been told to find new clubs, with at least one centre-half also expected to depart before the window closes on September 1.
Speaking to a young supporter earlier this month, Sverre Nypan insisted that while he 'does not play for (Manchester) City yet', there remains a chance of joining the Etihad Stadium club in what he described as a 'maybe' possibility.
When quizzed by the young fan on why joining Manchester City could only be described as a 'maybe' for now, Nypan continued, 'I don't know we'll see, it's not done.'
Borussia Dortmund have also expressed an interest in Nypan, who has established himself as one of Europe's brightest midfield prospects in recent seasons, which could well see him link up with Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium when the new season begins.
It remains to be seen whether Nypan is considered as an immediate addition to Guardiola's squad amid uncertainty over the future of Ilkay Gundogan, who has attracted interest from Turkey despite wanting to stay on at Manchester City after returning to the club from Barcelona in dramatic, last-minute fashion last summer.
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