In order to make room for two potential departures this summer, Manchester City might make a move for a USMNT defender who performed admirably for Fulham last year.
Left-back Antonee Robinson played 35 times in the Premier League as the promoted squad beat the odds to become one of the surprise surprises of the season, contributing significantly to the West London club’s 10th-place finish the previous season. However, because of how well he played for the Cottagers, several elite European clubs are now keeping an eye on his availability.
According to Italian media reports, Pep Guardiola may have to compete with AC Milan and Marseille for the services of the 25-year-old this summer. The 36-time US international would provide the Premier League winners another option at left-back because they presently don’t have a recognised senior player in that position.
Robinson has reportedly been connected to the Eastlands club for a number of months, and his impressive showings at the World Cup in Qatar last year have only served to further his reputation. Robinson would provide Guardiola a more conventional alternative in a position that has been lacking. Right now, center back John Stones and teenager Rico Lewis play a hybrid role that allows them to push up into midfield.
Additionally, any potential transfer might result in the long-serving full-back Kyle Walker being released by the newly crowned European champions. This summer, Thomas Tuchel reportedly set his sights on the 33-year-old England legend, sparking rumors that he would transfer to Bayern Munich.
Joao Cancelo, another player on Manchester City’s roster who may be let go, now seems to be in a precarious situation following a fruitless loan stint with the Bundesliga champions. According to Sky Sports, the Portuguese left-back is expected to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer, with Arsenal appearing to be the front-runner at the moment.
Robinson, a former Everton academy graduate, has been linked with a move to AC Milan before as well; the player even went so far as to have a physical with the San Siro giants in 2020. He was playing for Wigan Athletic at the time, but his ideal move was halted when testing indicated he was experiencing ectopic heartbeats.
Paulo Maldini, the president of the Rossoneri, and other club executives were forced to cancel the deal at the last minute because the medical was scheduled for the day before the deadline. When he received the information that Milan was abandoning the trade, he was about to sign a contract to complete the transfer.
He was informed that the Serie A giants had no choice but to forego the deal due to testing taking an additional three days to complete. Robinson described the specifics of the unsuccessful transfer to Italy in an interview with the Guardian from back in February.
He stated, “I was in the hospital getting my knees and back scanned and tested extensively. They asked me if I had ever experienced any heart problems as they performed a max effort test on a Wattbike. I replied, “No,” but they nevertheless sent me to a different hospital to get an additional ECG, and once they had the results, they sent me to Milan’s main office.
They told me: “We can’t do a deal because something’s flagged up with your heart,” even though my agent was present together with Maldini and all the other top Milan officials when I was expecting to sign my contract. They couldn’t risk signing me because it was deadline day and it would take at least three days to identify the issue.
“When they went to perform the operation, they didn’t see any more inadequate heartbeats,” he continued. They concluded that because of my heart’s sensitivity to caffeine, I should stop drinking coffee.
After 108 appearances at Craven Cottage, it could be time to split ways and give Robinson the opportunity to make his club debut on the greatest platform. He might be transferred to a major European company this summer.