OFFICIAL: Man City sign Akanji from Dortmund in £17m deal
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
- 3 min read
Breaking
Manchester City have announced that they have completed the signing of Borussia Dortmund centre-back Manuel Akanji.
The 27-year-old has signed a five-year deal with the Etihad club, meaning he is contracted to Man City until 2027.
Akanji is expected to cost City £15 million (€17.3m) in an upfront fee, plus bonus payments that could reach £1.7m (€2m).
He is the fifth major signing of the summer to Pep Guardiola's squad, joining Stefan Ortega Moreno, Kalvin Phillips, Sergio Gomez and Erling Haaland in the ranks of the defending Premier League champions. Furthermore, Julian Alvarez has arrived at the club on a permanent basis after a loan from River Plate.
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Akanji on Man City transfer
“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," he told the club's official website.
“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.”
What shirt number will he wear?
Akanji has chosen to wear the No.25 shirt at Manchester City. It was previously the jersey worn by legendary City captain Fernandinho.
At Dortmund, the Switzerland international wore the No.16.
Why Man City signed Akanji
“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,” Txiki Bergiristain said.
Akanji has spent the majority of his career playing in Switzerland, where he made his professional debut with Winterthur before graduating to Basel in 2015. From there, he was snapped up by Dortmund three years later.
At Dortmund since 2018, he has been a regular for the Bundesliga challengers over the course of his time at the club, albeit it has been interrupted on a fairly regular basis because of injuries.
