MANCHESTER CITY HAVE agreed a €400,000 — plus add-ons — deal to sign 16-year-old Shamrock Rovers goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.
John Fallon reports in the Irish Independent that negotiations came to a close on Friday as Rovers officials wrapped up the deal at the Etihad, before the teenage sensation visited for the Premier League champions’ first home game of the season against Huddersfield Town.
Bazunu, who was voted SSE Airtricity / SWAI Player of the Month for July, will stick to the original plan of sitting the Leaving Cert before making the move across the water to start a four-year contract.
In the meantime, the Hoops will have the Dubliner’s services for the start of next season as he continues his studies in Ashfield College.
Bazunu has caught the eye of many since making his senior debut for Shamrock Rovers in June, and it was first reported earlier this month that City had won the race to secure his signature.
In July, he made an outstanding penalty save to deny Cork City’s Kieran Sadlier en route to keeping his fourth consecutive clean sheet in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division, and has also impressed in the Europa League.
Manchester United, Celtic, Liverpool, Norwich City and Tottenham were all also reportedly linked with signing the player, with Rovers understood to have rejected a €200,000 bid from Spurs.
After scooping the Player of the Month accolade last week, Bazunu said:
“Rovers is everything to me and I just want to keep working hard, do my Leaving Certificate next year, and be the best footballer that I can be.”
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