Manchester City Receive January 2027 Transfer Green Light From Villarreal Superstar

Manchester City Receive January 2027 Transfer Green Light From Villarreal Superstar Hugo Viana and co are interested in signing Alex Freeman from Villarreal in January 2027. Freeman, 22, joined Villarreal from Orlando City in January in a deal worth a reported $7 million (around £5 million), signing a contract that is reported to run until June 2032. The right-back is a senior United States international and was a regular starter at the summer's FIFA World Cup, scoring in a 2-0 group-stage win over Australia before helping his country reach the latter stages of the tournament on home soil. He has started every La Liga and UEFA Champions League match for Villarreal since his move, becoming the Spanish club's first-choice right-back under manager Marcelino Garcia Toral. Freeman 'open' to Man City move as interest registered Manchester City have struggled to find a long-term successor at right-back since the departure of Kyle Walker in 2025 - and manager Enzo Maresca is weighing up his options in the position ahead of the 2027 January transfer window. As reported by journalist  Pete O'Rourke , City have registered an interest in signing Freeman, with the full-back open to a move to the Etihad Stadium in January 2027. Maresca is weighing up his options at right-back ahead of a possible January move for a new addition, with the report adding that several other English top-flight sides also have the United States international on their radar as he impresses in La Liga. Matheus Nunes has started the majority of Manchester City 's Premier League games at right-back under Maresca this season despite the 28-year-old being a natural central midfielder, with the Portugal international having arrived from Wolves in 2023 to operate in midfield. Nunes was majorly at fault for Yasin Ayari's 11th-minute goal in the 1-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, after failing to deal with a low cross into the penalty area, with Maresca subsequently addressing the individual errors that have cost his side across recent weeks. Rico Lewis, who signed a five-year contract extension running until 2030 in September 2025, has been used sparingly by Maresca and is yet to establish himself in a particular position, with the 21-year-old having played in both midfield and defence this season. Maresca said in a press conference last week that Lewis can operate in both roles , without clarifying where the England international's long-term future lies, and the uncertainty around his position has previously raised the prospect of a possible exit from the Etihad Stadium in the next 12 months. Abdukodir Khusanov, who joined from Lens in January 2025, is primarily a centre-back and started in the middle of defence against Brighton on Saturday, with the Uzbekistan international among the alternatives Maresca has used in wider positions during a congested run of fixtures. Rayan Ait-Nouri has been assessed by Maresca on the opposite flank in similar terms, with the Algeria international also facing competition for minutes, though the full-back concerns on the right have been more pronounced in the opening months of the campaign. Freeman's reported interest in a January move would add a specialist option to the squad, with the right-back having shown his versatility by also operating as a centre-back for the United States under head coach Mauricio Pochettino at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Manchester City travel to face RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday before visiting Nottingham Forest  in the Premier League this weekend, ahead of the November international break.