Not in Pep Guardiola's plans, Manchester City‘s German goalkeeper Stefan Ortega is hoping to find a new club before the end of this January transfer window.
A loyal servant to Manchester City since arriving on a free transfer in the summer of 2022, Stefan Ortega is unable to get game time under Pep Guardiola. Behind Gianluigi Donnarumma and James Trafford, the German goalkeeper is only the 3rd or 4th choice at the English club in the goalkeeping hierarchy this 2025-26 season.
A campaign that has passed the former Arminia Bielefeld keeper by entirely, with 0 minutes played and just one inclusion in the Citizens' squad for the opening Premier League fixture at Wolverhampton (4-0) on August 16, 2025. Since that date, Stefan Ortega has not been called up once by Manchester City and this trend must end in one way only: the 33-year-old accepting a new challenge during this January window.
Stefan Ortega tracked by Bayer Leverkusen but…
Time is running out for the Manchester keeper as a move will no longer be possible after February 2, the closing date of the transfer window. Under contract until June 2026, Stefan Ortega does not want to wait and risk remaining on the sidelines for several more months.
Despite his complete lack of playing time, the Hofgeismar native does not lack suitors. According to Sky Germany, Stefan Ortega is in concrete discussions with clubs from 3 countries: England, Spain and Italy. The identity of the clubs in the running has not been specified.
As a reminder, the Manchester City goalkeeper was at one point reported to be on the radar of German side Bayer Leverkusen, with Xabi Alonso's former club searching for a new keeper to cover for the injured Mark Flekken. However, it appears the 2024 German champions will not be negotiating his arrival in the coming days.
