Barcelona reveal initial agreement with Man City for Bravo

Barcelona have confirmed that they have “the beginning of an agreement” with Manchester City for the transfer of Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

Speculation regarding Bravo’s future had been rife ever since former Barca coach Pep Guardiola left Joe Hart out of his starting XI for Manchester City’s first league game of the season against Sunderland on August 13.

Guardiola opted for Argentine Willy Caballero as his first-choice goalkeeper, while rumours continued to link Bravo with the switch to the Etihad Stadium.

And following Barca’s 6-2 demolition of Real Betis on Saturday, in which fans chanted urging Bravo to stay, sporting director Robert Fernandez confirmed that an agreement with City was approaching completion.

He said: “We have the beginning of an agreement with Manchester City for Claudio Bravo.”

Ajax goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen has been strongly linked as a replacement for Bravo and Robert is confident that back-up to Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be acquired soon.

“We are awaiting events this week [regarding a replacement for Bravo],” he added. “When Claudio leaves, we hope to have a new keeper.”