Manchester City have completed the signing of defender Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth £15million.
Switzerland international Akanji, 27, has signed a five-year deal, which will keep him at City until the summer of 2027. Akanji began his career with Basel, joining Dortmund in 2018, where he made 158 appearances, playing alongside City striker Erling Haaland.
The arrival of Akanji takes City's summer transfer outlay to £121.7m, following the signings of Haaland, Kalvin Phillips and Sergio Gomez. On joining City, Akanji - who will wear the No.25 shirt, vacated by Fernandinho following his departure this summer - said: “I'm delighted to be here and can’t wait to get started.
“City have been one of the best teams in Europe over the last few seasons. They are brilliant to watch, play an exciting brand of football and compete for trophies year in, year out, so coming here feels like the perfect next step in my career.
“Pep Guardiola is an exceptional manager and this is an exceptional squad of players, so this is an exciting opportunity for me. I am really looking forward to testing myself in the Premier League and I will do everything I can to help this club be successful.”
City Director of Football Txiki Begiristain said: “Manuel has plenty of experience playing at the top level of European football and we are confident he will be a valuable addition to our squad.
"We have been impressed with his performances during his time at Dortmund, where he has developed into a very good defender and one who is ready to perform in both the Premier League and Champions League.
“He has everything we want in a centre-back. He is strong, quick, comfortable in possession, has an excellent passing range and he will complement the other defenders in this team and our style of play.”
City moved for Akanji after losing centre-back Aymeric Laporte until at least the end of September, following knee surgery.
With Nathan Ake also injured and not yet back to full fitness, Guardiola was left with Ruben Dias and John Stones as his only fit central defenders, necessitating the need for an additional option there in Akanji.
