Manchester City have completed the £15.1m signing of Manuel Akanji from Dortmund.
Akanji, 27, has signed a five-year deal at the Etihad and will add depth to a centre-back department that is currently struggling with injuries; Aymeric Laporte is expected to be out for at least another month while Nathan Ake has missed the last two matches. City have pounced to sign Akanji for a cut-price fee given he was in the final 12 months of his contract.
The Swiss defender takes the No.25 shirt vacated by outgoing club captain Fernandinho at the end of last season. He becomes the sixth major signing of the summer transfer window and is expected to be the final significant bit of business for Pep Guardiola to refresh his squad.
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City are believed to be pleased to have been able to get such value for a defender who ticks so many of the boxes that they look for. Txiki Begiristain, the club's sporting director, talked up the player as someone who can help the team in their two main aims of the Premier League and Champions League.
“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," he said. "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.”
Akanji has been registered to play in time for Saturday's game with Aston Villa, although having not featured this season for Dortmund it remains to be seen whether he will be put straight into the squad after a few training sessions.
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