Manuel Akanji: Manchester City complete €17.5m signing of Dortmund centre-back
Akanji becomes City’s fifth senior centre-back amid injuries to Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Aké
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester City have confirmed the €17.5m (£15.1m) signing of Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund.
Akanji has signed a five-year deal at the Etihad to become City's fifth signing of the summer and offer depth at centre-back.
The 27-year-old will provide cover and competition for Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, John Stones and Nathan Aké at the hear of Pep Guardiola's defence.
The Premier League champions have largely been unable to call upon Laporte and Aké due to injury this season and have sought a late defensive reinforcement in the market.
Akanji was a regular at Dortmund last season under Marco Rose and leaves Signal Iduna Park having made 158 appearances.
The Switzerland international fell down the pecking order under Edin Terzic, however, particularly after the summer arrivals of Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck.
“I am delighted to be here and can’t wait to get started," said Akanji.
“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.”
Txiki Begiristain, City's director of football, added: “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."
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