Manchester: Manchester City on Thursday signed Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund on a five-year deal, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2027.
Akanji has made 158 appearances for Bundesliga club Dortmund since joining from Basel in 2018, winning the German Super Cup in 2019 and the German Cup in 2020/21.
The 27-year-old centre-back has 41 caps for Switzerland and played a key role in their qualification for the World Cup.
“I am 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,” Akanji told mancity.com after completing his move to the Etihad Stadium.
“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” he added.
Akanji is the fifth signing Guardiola has made during this transfer window. City have earlier signed Stefan Ortega Moreno, Kalvin Phillips, Sergio Gomez and Erling Haaland this summer, with Julian Alvarez also arriving following his loan spell with River Plate.
“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,” City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain 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,” he added.
–IANS