Danilo is expected to have a medical with Manchester City in Los Angeles this weekend and seal his £26.5 million transfer from Real Madrid.
The versatile Brazilian is due to say goodbye to his team-mates at Madrid’s pre-season training camp at UCLA and make the journey across the city to join Pep Guardiola’s squad.
Once Danilo has completed his medical, he is expected to sign a five-year contract with City and thus ease Guardiola’s problems at full back.
Although Danilo’s primary task will be to challenge Kyle Walker for the right-back position, Guardiola believes he can operate effectively in midfield and at left back, where City have zero options because of Aleksandar Kolarov’s imminent departure. “He has one step to go to joining Roma,” Guardiola said of Kolarov after the 2-0 friendly defeat by Manchester United in Houston.
Guardiola wants Txiki Begiristain, City’s director of football, to conclude a deal with Monaco for Benjamin Mendy, another full back. City have so far refused to meet Monaco’s £54 million asking price, although talks are expected to continue over the weekend.
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Fernandinho, the midfielder, and Eliaquim Mangala, the centre back, filled in at left back in Texas and struggled greatly up against Marcus Rashford. “We don’t have full backs,” said Guardiola, who released Bacary Sagna, Gaël Clichy and Pablo Zabaleta at the end of last month. “We don’t have any options at left back.”
Guardiola is also considering signing a centre back and is still hoping to bring Alexis Sánchez in from Arsenal. City are also in talks with Stoke City and Swansea City over the sales of Fabian Delph and Wilfried Bony respectively while Leicester City are confident of signing City striker Kelechi Iheanacho for £25 million.
Fifa, meanwhile, maintains it is yet to receive a complaint from Monaco about City’s alleged tapping up of Kylian Mbappé. Monaco threatened to report City, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain to world football’s governing body over claims they spoke to Mbappé without their permission. City deny any wrongdoing.