Transfer News: Manchester City sign Olarenwaju Kayode and loan him to Girona

PEP GUARDIOLA is set to sign Nigerian international striker Olarenwaju Kayode with the plan to make him Manchester City’s latest loanee to newly-promoted La Liga club Girona, who they face Tuesday night in a friendly in Spain.

Olarenwaju KayodeGETTY

Olarenwaju Kayode has signed for Man City and been loaned out to Girona

City have just sold another Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho to Leicester for £25m but are now closing on a deal with Austria Vienna for his 24-year-old compatriot Kayode – who is nicknamed “Larry.”

Kayode, who will sign a four-year contract and had been linked with Newcastle, scored 24 goals in 48 matches in all competitions last season, including two in a Europa League match against Italian giants Roma. He finished top scorer in Austria’s top flight with 17 in 33 League games.

Kayode has had spells with ASEC Mimosas in the Ivory Coast, FC Lucerne in Switzerland and Maccabi Netanya in Isreal and represented Nigeria at the 2009 and 2011 Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups, respectively, and has three full caps.

City plan to loan him to Girona, a club part-owned by Guardiola’s agent brother Pere.

He will become the fifth City player to be loaned there, following Brazilian striker Douglas Luiz, signed this summer from Vasco Da Gama, right-back Pablo Maffeo, midfielder Aleix Garcia – both Spanish - and Colombian winger Marlos Moreno.

Kelechi Iheanacho scores wondergoal in Man City training

City will face the latter quartet in tonight’s (Tues) friendly which forms part of a four-day training camp in Catalonia ahead of their next Premier League game against Everton on Monday.

Kyle Walker has been left out of Guardiola 26-man squad after asking to miss the trip for personal reasons.

But summer signing Benjamin Mendy could make his debut after missing three weeks with a thigh injury following his £49m move from Monaco.

And midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who has been out of action since last December with ruptured knee ligaments, could also make his comeback.

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