The Brazilian has made too many mistakes this season and the Cityzens are already looking for his successor – but who should they turn to?

Manchester City may have spent £180 million ($232m) in January bolstering their squad, but they failed to address one area which was in desperate need of renewal: the position of goalkeeper. City's weakness between the sticks has been a big factor in their woeful season, and it haunted them again on Saturday when Ederson allowed a shot from Callum Hudson-Odoi to creep past his arm and inside his near post in the 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest.

It was far from the first time the Brazilian has let his side down this season. Ederson made numerous errors in City's dismal Champions League campaign, and his form in the league saw him dropped for Stefan Ortega for the trip to Liverpool in November. He has provided a remarkable three assists this season, making Premier League history as the goalkeeper to have set up the most goals in the process, but overall, he has a net deficit as his play-making ability can no longer compensate for the mistakes he keeps making.

Ederson has been fortunate that his deputy Ortega has had his own problems, and Guardiola could not hide his fury after the German's feeble attempt to keep out Cristian Norgaard's header in the 2-2 draw at Brentford in January.

But City have a double-edged problem now: two goalkeepers who are on the wrong side of 30 and neither of whom Guardiola seems particularly convinced by. Ederson wanted to leave the club last summer, but stayed after Guardiola refused to sanction his departure, and GOAL understands that City have already begun their search for a replacement for the Brazilian.

The Premier League champions are casting their eye around the world looking at suitable candidates, so here are some of the names they should be taking a particularly close look at…

Getty ImagesDiogo Costa (Porto)

Diogo Costa wrote his name into European Championship history last summer by becoming the first goalkeeper to save three consecutive penalties in the shootout win against Slovenia. He already had a fine reputation for keeping out spot-kicks after saving a record three penalties in a row in the Champions League group stage the previous season, and while his shot-stopping ability is, therefore, not in doubt, he also has the ball-playing ability to fit into this City team.

The 25-year-old also has leadership qualities, having been named Porto's captain at the start of this season. Costa was linked with a move to City last summer when Ederson was thought to be heading to Saudi Arabia, while Chelsea wanted to sign him in 2023.

Porto president Andre Villas-Boas called Costa "one of the club's greatest assets" last summer as he declared the No.1 was not for sale. Costa has a release clause of €75m (£63m/£81m), but the penalty-saving extraordinaire would be well worth the big outlay in the long run.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLucas Chevalier (Lille)

Lucas Chevalier shot to prominence after helping Lille pull off a shock 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League in October. He made five saves against the holders, including a stunning starfish leap to deny Antonio Rudiger. Indeed, his performance was so strong that he earned a 9/10 rating from the infamously hard-to-please journalists at , who gave the same mark to Alisson for his world-beating performance against Paris Saint-Germain last week.

Chevalier continued to shine in his side's journey to the last 16, and the Frenchman is reported to be high on City's list of Ederson replacements. They are likely to face competition from Barcelona, who have also set their sights on the 23-year-old as they look for a long-term replacement for Marc-Andre ter Stegen. But if there's going to be a bidding war between City and the cash-strapped Catalans, there will only be one winner.

GettyMichele di Gregorio (Juventus)

City know all about Michele di Gregorio after he made a sensational save from Ilkay Gundogan in Juventus' 2-0 win over Guardiola's side in December, while Ederson gave an abject display down the other end.

The 27-year-old has taken the long road to the top after coming through Inter's academy. He never played a senior game for the Nerazzuri and had four separate loan spells across Italy's lower leagues before joining Monza permanently in 2022. Di Gregorio subsequently joined Juve on loan last summer, and has shown he can handle the pressure of playing for a top club having helped the Old Lady to the second-best defensive record in Serie A.

Getty ImagesBart Verbruggen (Brighton)

Bart Verbruggen provides an appealing mix of confidence on the ball, mega-fast reactions and Premier League experience, and he would make an easy, ready-made replacement for Ederson. The Brighton shot-stopper was linked with Manchester United when they were searching for a David de Gea replacement in 2023 before opting for Andre Onana instead, and how they must regret that decision.

Verbruggen would be an affordable option at around £30m ($38m, and as he is only 22, he could go on to be City's No.1 for the next decade, representing an absolute steal if they can pull it off.