‘Gratitude for the effort’: Guardiola bids farewell to Arsenal-bound Zinchenko

Pep Guardiola has praised the effort Oleksandr Zinchenko has always shown at Manchester City as the Ukraine international closes on a move to Arsenal.

Zinchenko is poised to join Arsenal, who like City are on a pre-season tour in the United States, with the formalities of the transfer expected to be completed shortly. A £30m fee has been agreed for the versatile 25-year-old, who can operate at left-back and in midfield.

Before City’s friendly against Club América in Texas, Guardiola said Zinchenko would depart with the club’s best wishes, as he reunites at Arsenal with his former teammate Gabriel Jesus .

“On behalf of the club [I would like to express] gratitude for the effort, how they behave on and off the pitch,” Guardiola said. “It was nice with Alex yesterday because we could say goodbye properly. Unfortunately with Raheem [Sterling] and Gabriel we could not do it because it was the summer time but yesterday we could say goodbye to him and [he can] move on to Arsenal.”

Zinchenko, who joined City during 2016 from the Russian side Ufa, will work again with the manager Mikel Arteta, who was assistant to Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium. Zinchenko had been with City at their base in Houston but has headed off to complete a medical.

Arsenal are in Florida, where they play Orlando City on Thursday before facing Chelsea on Saturday. Arteta said: “We are in the market to keep improving the squad, but there are so many parties involved and sometimes things don’t happen as quickly as you want.”