Transfer Rumors 2018: Manchester City Reportedly Signing Shakhtar Donetsk's Fred this Summer
It looks like Manchester City may have already secured their first signing of the summer.
According to Goal's Bruno Andrade, City reportedly have a deal in place to sign Shakhtar Donetsk star Fred for £44.5 million (around €50 million) once the transfer window reopens in the offseason.
City attempted to sign the Brazilian midfielder last month, but the Ukrainian giants refused to part ways with him in the middle of the season because they were still looking to progress into the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
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"The Blues were unable to break Shakhtar's resolve to keep the midfielder for the remainder of their Champions League campaign, but they have been in constant talks with the Ukrainians over the past week to put together an agreement which will come into effect this summer," Andrade wrote in his report.
"It is believed that all parties have agreed on the terms of the move, although nothing is officially signed," he continued.
"Sources have told Goal that Fred has been determined to join City ever since they first made their interest clear towards the end of 2017," he added.
The Brazilian midfielder is viewed as a potential long-term successor for current first-choice holding midfielder Fernandinho. Interestingly, Fred was also brought in as Fernandinho's replacement for Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2013.
Of course, Fernandinho is not going anywhere this time because he just signed a two-year contract extension with City last month. Still, Fred is expected to receive a lot of playing time because Fernandinho is not getting any younger.
Meanwhile, the Mirror's Simon Mullock has reported that the transfer fee for Fred is actually a bit higher. According to Mullock, City are reportedly paying Shakhtar Donetsk £50 million (around €56 million) to bring the defensive midfielder to the blue side of Manchester after the 2017-18 season.
