Pep Guardiola makes heartfelt plea for Ederson to stay at Man City amid Saudi transfer interest

Ederson has been hotly-linked with a move to Al-Ittihad throughout the summer and is believed to be interested in a move to Saudi Arabia. It has been reported that Ederson was disappointed with the praise his deputy Stefan Ortega received following the Brazilian's injury that kept him out of the final stages of the season. Despite this, Guardiola has not given up hope of keeping Ederson at the club.

Hoping to persuade the keeper to stay, Guardiola said: "I wish with the bottom of my heart Eddie will continue with us... I would love him to stay. I cannot imagine our processes succeeding these last seasons without him. He is an important figure in the locker room."

Since joining City from Benfica in 2017, Ederson has won a total of 17 trophies including six Premier League titles, one Champions League, one Club World Cup, two FA Cups and four League Cups. Should the goalkeeper depart for Saudi, he will leave the club as one their most-decorated players.

Should a transfer to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia materialise, Ederson could join a side that boasts the likes of Karim Benzema, Moussa Diaby and N'Golo Kante. He could be followed to Saudi by team-mate Kevin De Bruyne whose future remains in the balance. Meanwhile, City will likely stick with Ortega in goal as their number one and seek a new back-up.