'They made an offer': Pep Guardiola shares how close Ederson was to leaving Man City for Saudi Arabia

Ederson Moraes was strongly linked with a move to Saudi Arabia this summer, with the Brazilian international opting to remain at Manchester City.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr were keen on adding Ederson to their ranks with this summer seeing the likes of Ivan Toney, Joao Cancelo and Moussa Diaby make the move to Saudi Arabia in the latest wave of huge spending.

With TBR Football exclusively reporting that City are eager to resume contract talks with Ederson, the Manchester giants are now working hard to ensure that their starting goalkeeper commits his future to the reigning Premier League champions after this summer’s scare.

And Pep Guardiola has now shared how close Ederson actually was to leaving for Saudi Arabia.

Ederson was subject to an underwhelming offer from Saudi Arabia

Speaking to the press after Saturday’s Premier League win against Fulham, the City manager confirmed that an offer was made for Ederson this summer, but given how important the former Benfica man is for the Cityzens, it appears that this bid was not taken seriously by the Manchester side.

Indeed, Ederson has impressed this season between the sticks for City after being challenged last year by Stefan Ortega for the no. 1 spot, and Guardiola’s insistence on keeping the 31-year-old at the Etihad Stadium might have spurred on this change in the Brazilian’s game.

Guardiola said on Saturday when asked how Edersona actually came to leaving City for Saudi Arabia: “The real offer didn’t come. They made an offer, but for a keeper for the team who’s won four Premier Leagues in a row, they have a certain value.

“He [Ederson] knew from day one I didn’t want [him to leave], but yes, of course [I was concerned he could leave]. He’s an important figure with our team but in the end, it didn’t happen. Hopefully, he’s happy.”

Guardiola was right to convince Ederson to stay at City

Ederson’s form last season at City was somewhat concerning in patches, with Ortega’s title-winning cameo at Tottenham a real indicator that the German could have been promoted to first-choice keeper this campaign.

However, Guardiola’s fight to keep hold of Ederson has proven to be the right one, with the former Benfica man putting in a string of impressive performances for City in their bid to win a second UEFA Champions League title and reclaim the Premier League.

Indeed, the Brazilian international is hitting the peak of his powers at the best club in the world, and City fans will be happy Ederson opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium with contract talks set to begin.