Manchester City have completed the signing of defender Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund for a fee believed to be worth an initial £15m plus £1.7m in add-ons.
The 27-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year contract with the Premier League champions, keeping him at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2027.
Akanji, who will wear the No.25 shirt, becomes City's fifth signing of the summer window, following the arrivals of Erling Braut Haaland – his former teammate at Dortmund – Kalvin Phillips, Stefan Ortega and Sergio Gomez.
Speaking to mancity.com on his arrival at the club, Akanji said: "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.
"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."
We are delighted to announce we have completed the signing of Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund! ✍️
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 1, 2022
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The Switzerland international added: "I love the way Manchester City plays. I watch a lot of Premier League and obviously a lot of Manchester City games, because they have been champions many times in recent years.
"I really like the football style the team plays, and I think I can fit perfectly in that style."
Director of football Txiki Begiristain 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.
"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."
© Reuters
Akanji began his career in his native Switzerland with Winterthur and Basel before moving to Germany and joining Dortmund in January 2018.
The 6ft 2in centre-back established himself as a first-team regular with the Bundesliga club and made a total of 158 appearances across all tournaments, featuring in 36 games last season.
Akanji, who won the 2019 German Super Cup and the 2020-21 DFB-Pokal at BVB, will now get the chance to test himself in the Premier League, and will compete with Ruben Dias, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake for a place in Guardiola's starting lineup.
With Laporte and Ake both sidelined with injuries at present, Akanji could be called upon by Guardiola to make his Man City debut when they visit Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.
Both Akanji and Haaland could also renew acquaintances with their former club Dortmund when City face the German outfit in the Champions League group stage later this year.
Oliver Thomas
