Manchester City have confirmed that experienced goalkeeper Scott Carson will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of this month.
The 39-year-old joined the Citizens as a backup option in 2019, initially on loan before completing a free transfer in 2021, and he made just two first-team appearance for the club.
Carson made his debut for Man City in May 2021 when he played he full 90 minutes in a 4-3 victory at Newcastle in the Premier League, before coming on as a second-half substitute in a 0-0 second-leg draw with Sporting Lisbon in the last 16 of the Champions League in March 2022.
During his time at City, Carson has established himself as a cult hero and has been praised by manager Pep Guardiola, goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor and teammates Ederson and Stefan Ortega for his work ethic and the positive effect he had in the dressing room.
Carson departs a Man City squad that has won 12 major honours over the last six seasons during a historic period in the club’s history, most notably winning the treble including their first-ever Champions League trophy in 2022-23.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Carson, who has spent the last 21 years as a professional goalkeeper since his senior debut for Leeds United back in January 2004.
Chelsea's Marcus Bettinelli in action as he makes his debut on January 8, 2022
Carson out, Bettinelli in at Man City?
Guardiola stated last week that both Ederson and Ortega “will stay” at the club this summer, but the departure of Carson is set to see the Citizens target a new backup shot-stopper.
According to The Telegraph, Man City are ready to make a move for Chelsea’s third-choice goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli who has just a year remaining on his contract at Stamford Bridge.
The report adds that the 33-year-old has been targeted as the right profile to support both Ederson and Ortega, while there is hope of completing a deal before the transfer window closes on Tuesday ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup later this month.
It is thought that Bettinelli would command a small transfer fee compared to Man City’s summer moves for Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, the former two have passed medicals and confirmation of their arrivals is imminent.
Bettinelli has been at Chelsea for the last four seasons and in that time has made just one first-team appearance, playing the full 90 minutes in a 5-1 home win over Chesterfield in the FA Cup third round in August 2022.
The former Fulham shot-stopper is said to have been recognised by managers as playing an important role in pushing teammates in training, while he is also homegrown which helps with Man City’s quotas for both the Premier League and Champions League next season.
Bettinelli, who also represented Dartford, Accrington Stanley and Middlesbrough on loan earlier in his career, earned a call-up to the England senior squad under former boss Gareth Southgate in 2018, but he did not make an appearance for the Three Lions.
ID:574564:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4818: