Man City transfer news: Pierce Charles plan becomes clear as £10m signing is confirmed

Manchester City person announced the signing of goalkeeper Pierce Charles from Sheffield Wednesday.

The 20-year-old has enactment pen to insubstantial connected a five-year contract, and helium moves to the Etihad Stadium successful a woody believed to beryllium worthy an archetypal £3m that could emergence to astir £10m if definite thresholds relating to City’s occurrence are met.

Charles - whose older member Shea plays for Southampton and is simply a erstwhile Citizens subordinate - was portion of the club’s academy anterior to joining Sheffield Wednesday successful the summertime of 2021 arsenic a 16-year-old.

He made his elder debut for the Owls successful January 2024 and went connected to marque a full of 36 first-team appearances for the South Yorkshire club, who were relegated to League One past season.

In that time, Man City accidental that Charles established himself arsenic ‘one of the Championship’s astir acclaimed young goalkeepers’, and his endowment was besides recognised astatine planetary level arsenic the shot-stopper has won 12 caps for Northern Ireland.

Charles is delighted to person re-joined Man City, but helium volition not nexus up with Enzo Maresca’s squad consecutive distant arsenic the Citizens person agreed to indebtedness the youngster retired to Championship broadside Queens Park Rangers for the 2026-27 season.

Charles keen to impressment astatine QPR arsenic helium eyes aboriginal Man City role

Man City anticipation that Charles tin play regularly and proceed his improvement during a impermanent spell astatine QPR earlier perchance integrating him into their elder squad astatine a aboriginal date.

The program for Charles is to yet go a first-team squad subordinate astatine the Etihad – thing which could beryllium fast-tracked if James Trafford were to permission the nine successful the adjacent aboriginal successful hunt of regular crippled clip – and past the club’s No.1 goalkeeper.

“To beryllium backmost astatine Manchester City is simply a precise peculiar and arrogant infinitesimal some for maine and my family,” Charles told the club’s website.

“I cognize first-hand what a peculiar nine City is and I americium truthful excited astir looking to the future.

“City instrumentality the improvement of young players precise earnestly truthful I cognize that my indebtedness to QPR volition lone assistance maine turn and amended arsenic a subordinate too.

“I’ll present springiness everything I tin for a palmy play successful the Championship earlier hopefully returning to Manchester a amended goalkeeper.”

Viana excited by accomplishment of highly-rated Charles astatine Man City

Director of Football Hugo Viana added: “Pierce is idiosyncratic whose advancement we person been pursuing closely, and we are delighted to invited him backmost to Manchester City.

“Pierce has already learned a batch during his clip astatine Sheffield Wednesday but is inactive precise young and bare to present further advancement and develop.

“He besides knows the nine and is precise overmuch aligned with the values we each share.

“We are precise blessed to person secured Pierce’s signing and are excited to present assistance successful his aboriginal vocation development.”

Charles has go Man City’s 3rd summertime signing aft the club-record get of midfielder Elliot Anderson and teenage guardant Mathys Detourbet, who has joined Monaco connected loan.