Not too many players can say they’ve won the World Cup, European Championships, multiple Champions Leagues and still ended up playing in the Championship.
Whether Victor Valdes completes that unlikely feat now relies on him staying at Middlesbrough, with Steve Agnew’s side relegated to England’s second tier as of next season.
But Pep Guardiola is keen on rescuing the Spaniard from the Championship and bringing him to Man City, according to Bleacher Report.
Valdes is unlikely to stay at Boro beyond this campaign, but has impressed sufficiently, despite Boro’s poor season, to attract the interest of several Premier League sides.
While Boro have struggled to score goals all season letting them in hasn’t been a major weakness.
Boro’s tally of 48 goals conceded is better than Leicester, who have conceded 54 goals despite currently sitting in ninth place.
A release clause in his contract means the 35-year-old will be able to join another club on a free transfer when the window opens.
City’s summer goalkeeping merry-go-round saw Claudio Bravo arrive as no.1 from Barcelona, Joe Hart shipped out to Italy to play for Torino and Willy Caballero bumped up to no.2.
But there are clouds over all three keepers’ heads in regards to their futures at City, with Hart seemingly not valued by Guardiola and Bravo struggling to adjust to the Premier League.
City’s other target, Jordan Pickford, is likely to join Everton in the summer as Ronald Koeman also looks for new no.1.
Guardiola was Valdes’ manager between 2008 and 2012 in which time the pair won three league titles and two Champions League trophies.
A move to Man United in 2015 was an abject failure, although Valdes was never really given the chance to show what he can do under Louis van Gaal.
Let’s hope his second spell in Manchester is slightly more successful.