• Khusanov’s agent has confirmed Newcastle United held concrete talks to sign the Man City defender

• Agent Gairat Khasbiullin says the two parties established a “great rapport” during negotiations

• Newcastle were first to congratulate Khusanov on completing his move to Man City in January 2025

The agent of Manchester City centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov has revealed that Newcastle United held concrete talks to sign the Uzbekistan international before the defender ultimately completed his move to the Etihad Stadium, adding that a warm relationship between the two parties has been maintained ever since.

Abdukodir Khusanov arrived at Manchester City in January 2025, joining from French club RC Lens in a deal that represented one of the more eye-catching winter window additions of recent years, with the Uzbekistan international’s performances in Ligue 1 having drawn sustained interest from a number of prominent clubs across Europe ahead of the transfer.

Gairat Khasbiullin, who represents Khusanov, has now broken his silence on the nature of that interest, shedding new light on how close Newcastle United came to securing a player who has since gone on to establish himself as a regular starter in Manchester City’s defence under the management structures overseen by director of football Hugo Viana.

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Reports at the time of Khusanov’s signing had linked Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain with interest in the centre-back alongside Newcastle, though the agent’s account suggests that of those clubs, only the Magpies progressed to a level that could genuinely be described as concrete rather than exploratory.

The revelation arrives at a moment of considerable activity in the transfer market, with Newcastle themselves among the clubs most active in reshaping their squad ahead of the new season, and with Khusanov’s future at the Etihad Stadium understood to remain a subject of ongoing assessment as new manager Enzo Maresca evaluates every member of his inherited squad.

Khasbiullin: “Great rapport with Magpies” as Newcastle congratulate Khusanov on City move

As reported by Sport Express and relayed by Sport Witness, Khasbiullin confirmed that while several clubs were linked with Khusanov, only Newcastle reached the stage of substantive negotiations.

“Newcastle. The others may have shown interest, just like many other teams. It never got to the point of concrete talks,” said the agent. “But we established a great rapport with the Magpies. I have great respect for their management, and they were the first to congratulate us on Khusanov’s move to City.”

Khasbiullin elaborated further on the nature of the ongoing relationship with Newcastle, revealing that the goodwill generated during those talks has been preserved and developed into something more durable: “We maintain a warm relationship with them. I think that someday a player from Uzbekistan will end up at Newcastle.”

The agent also offered a window into his broader approach to maintaining relationships with clubs even when deals ultimately fail to materialise: “In general, I try to get along well with everyone I’ve negotiated with, sending holiday greetings and congratulations on important victories. When I travel to England, we have dinner together. Yes, that deal didn’t go through, but they really wanted him, and no one held a grudge. They say: whenever you’re planning to visit us, just give us a call in advance, and a box at St. James’ Park is at your disposal.”

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What does the agent’s account reveal about Khusanov’s Manchester City future?

The warmth of Khasbiullin’s language around Newcastle, combined with his suggestion that a Uzbek player could yet end up at St. James’ Park, inevitably raises the question of whether his client could be among those to make that journey at some point in the future – particularly given the uncertainty that surrounds several members of Maresca’s inherited defensive unit as the summer rebuild continues at the Etihad Stadium.

Khusanov has, by the agent’s own account and by any reasonable measure, delivered consistently since joining Manchester City, winning the EFL Cup and the FA Cup in his debut season at the club – honours that would suggest a player firmly embedded within the culture and standards of the Etihad Stadium rather than one on the fringes of its plans.

Nevertheless, the scale of the changes Viana is overseeing this summer means that few positions can be considered entirely settled until Maresca has completed his full assessment of the squad, and Newcastle’s maintained relationship with Khasbiullin ensures that whatever conversations are required, the lines of communication between the two clubs are firmly and warmly open.

Whether Khusanov begins the 2026-27 season as a Manchester City player or whether the “great rapport” between his agent and Newcastle eventually translates into something more concrete remains to be seen – but Khasbiullin’s candid account confirms that the Magpies have never truly moved on from a player they came closer to signing than anyone previously knew.