Manchester City prepared to axe flop goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and replace him with Benfica’s Ederson Moraes

MANCHESTER City seem ready to axe flop keeper Claudio Bravo and bring in Benfica's Ederson Moraes instead.

It was on boss Pep Guardiola's recommendation last May that City tabled a failed £19million offer for Moraes.

He now has a £50m release clause...but players are rarely sold for the price of their release clause; it is inserted to give the selling club a stronger bargaining position.

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Guardiola was impressed by the 23-year-old when Benfica came up against his Bayern Munich side in the Champions League quarter-finals last season.

Like the hapless Bravo, Moraes is excellent with his feet,.

Unlike Bravo, the Brazilian has the bonus of being a brilliant shot stopper. Moraes is also attentive and unafraid to come off his line, dominates the penalty area and has sharp reactions, athleticism and a big frame.

And Ederson is revered in Portugal for his unflappable composure. The youngster has been almost faultless since getting his chance midway through last season since when he has kept veteran Brazil stopper Julio Cesar on the bench.

Guardiola finally dropped Bravo, a £15.4million buy from Barcelona in August, for Wednesday night's 4-0 win at West Ham.

Willy Caballero's impressive FA Cup display against Crystal Palace persuaded him to replace Chilean Bravo, who has struggled for form and has been criticised for a number of mistakes both in the league and in Europe.

Guardiola admits he may have made a mistake in not showing faith in England No 1 Joe Hart who instead is on loan Turino with a possible move to Chelsea in the offing in the summer.

And he's surely close to acknowledging his error in buying Bravo, who has failed to impress in virtually every appearance for City.