Claudio Bravo completes €18m move to Manchester City

Claudio Bravo has signed for Manchester City from Barcelona on a four-year contract, signally the end of Joe Hart's career at the club.

Bravo has joined City for €18 million, with the transfer occurring after the Spanish champions signed Jasper Cillensen from Ajax as the Chilean’s replacement. The 33-year-old shared goalkeeping duties at Barca with Marc-Andre ter Stegen having joined from Real Sociedad two years ago. Bravo was the No 1 in La Liga while Ter Stegen started in the Champions League.

Bravo, who won two league titles and a Champions League-winners medal at Barcelona, flew into Manchester on Tuesday to complete a medical and is Guardiola’s final acquisition of the summer. He could make his debut in Sunday’s Premier League match against West Ham United.

“I’m very proud to be joining Manchester City,” Bravo said. “I know the club is building something very special and I hope I can be part of many successes in the coming years. I have followed City’s progress in recent years and obviously know some of my new team-mates from the Copa America.

“It is not easy to leave a club like Barcelona where I had two fantastic years, but the opportunity to work with Pep Guardiola was too good to refuse. Now I will challenge the other great goalkeepers the club has and together I hope we can win many trophies.”

City manager Guardiola added: “Claudio is a fantastic goalkeeper and an excellent addition to our squad. He has experience and great leadership qualities and is in the prime of his life. He is a goalkeeper I have admired for a number of years and I’m really happy he is now a City player.”

Hart, meanwhile, is facing career limbo. The 29-year-old was dropped by Guardiola for City’s opening three games of the campaign because of the head coach’s belief that the 29-year-old is not accomplished enough with his feet. If he remains at City when the transfer window closes next Wednesday, he will be the club’s third-choice goalkeeper, behind Bravo and Willy Caballero, and his lack of regular game time means Sam Allardyce may drop him as the England No 1.

A potential loan move to Everton broke down after City refused to subsidise any of Hart’s salary, with the Merseyside club unwilling to pay his £135,000-a-week wage. Everton are determined to maintain this stance until the transfer deadline passes at 11pm on August 31st, so unless City change their position, Hart may have to stay at the club.

At City Hart has claimed two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and two Capital One Cups, though he did not play in the finals of the latter.

(Guardian service)