Manchester City were helped in their pursuit of Ruben Dias by Benfica's shock Champions League defeat earlier this month.
Dias, 23, will become the club's record signing when his move is completed this week after the two clubs agreed a fee. The centre-back has been on City's radar for more than two years but a number of factors meant the move fell into place this summer.
With City unable to agree a fee for any of their other targets, they struck a deal with Benfica in the last fortnight that also involved Nicolas Otamendi, taking him off the wage bill at the Etihad and also reducing the net spend both on Dias and generally in the window.
Benfica's shock Champions League defeat at the hands of PAOK Salonika helped City's cause in negotiations. With the Portuguese club unable to offer Champions League football to their players and also missing out on the revenue from that competition - even more important given the financial impact of the pandemic - it put the Blues in a stronger position to negotiate.
Dias will be under immediate pressure to perform in a City shirt following the 5-2 home defeat to Leicester on Sunday. Pep Guardiola's side had started the season extremely well with a 3-1 win away to Wolves in their opening game, but their defensive meltdown in the next league game has refocused attention on their issues at the back.
City are already six points behind champions Liverpool, albeit having played one game fewer. They take on Leeds at Elland Road on Saturday in their final game before the international break.
