Manchester City are planning a surprise move to bring Brentford defender Aaron Hickey to the Etihad Stadium, according to reports.
Who is Aaron Hickey?
The Scotland international started out his career at Hearts having worked his way up through their academy ranks, and after carrying out a short spell with Celtic‘s U17s, joined Bologna back in 2020 before being snapped up by Thomas Frank at the Community Stadium two years later, as per Transfermarkt.
The Bees left-back has so far made 20 appearances to date in the Premier League, 18 of those being starts with two substitute appearances, via WhoScored, and his impressive form has already seen him become their third best-performing defensive player during his debut season.
The 20-year-old’s contract isn’t set to expire for another three years so it will be difficult for any potential suitor to try and negotiate a deal in the summer, but it sounds like Pep Guardiola is ready to give it a good go in M11.
According to The Sun, Manchester City “plan to swoop” for Hickey during the upcoming window as part of a Guardiola “shake-up”, with the boss wanting to recruit “new and modern” wide defenders. Brentford “know” that the Sky Blues are “hot on his trail”, and it’s stated that the price tag set to be demanded is approximately £30m.
The Etihad outfit are also “keen” on Fulham’s Antonee Robinson but have put their interest on the back-burner because of his valuation, which is the same as Hickey’s, as they view the latter as a “younger and more adaptable” option and more worth the money.
Would Hickey be worth £30m for Man City?
Hickey is still only in his first campaign in England so doesn’t have bags of experience in the Premier League, and whether he’d walk straight into Man City’s first-team is questionable, but this would certainly be a great long-term investment for the future of the club.
The Glasgow native, who has the ability to play with both feet, has won 23 tackles from 35 players challenged this season and has been dubbed an “energetic” full-back when bursting down the flank by journalist Josh Bunting. Indeed, he has registered eight goal contributions (six goals and two assists) in 101 career outings to date.
Hickey would additionally bring wonderful versatility to Guardiola’s squad with his ability to operate in five different positions across the pitch, including as full-back on both flanks and at centre-back, so despite his young age, he’s got lots of potential to give and he would only excel under the guidance of the Spaniard.