Manchester City announce Jeremy Doku signing

Manchester City have signed Belgian winger Jeremy Doku from Rennes.

The 21-year-old joins the Premier League and Champions League winners on a five-year deal until the summer of 2028 and will wear the number 11 shirt at the Etihad.

Man City are understood to have paid around £55.7m for Doku, who becomes the Citizens' third signing of the summer window after Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol.

Speaking to the official Man City website after putting pen to paper, Doku expressed his delight at the move and his excitement at working under Pep Guardiola's wing, saying: "This is a great day for me, both personally and professionally.

"Manchester City are the best team in world football, so to be joining them is something very special for me and my family. I am a young player with so much learning and improving to do.

"Working with Pep and his staff, and playing alongside these work-class players, will make me a much better player. I feel sure of that.

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— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 24, 2023

"Watching City last season was amazing. To win the Treble is the hardest thing in football and they did it. You cannot imagine how exciting it is to be joining this team. I cannot wait to get started. Hopefully I can make the fans happy."

Doku was a product of the Anderlecht youth academy for eight years before joining Rennes for £22.3m in 2020, and he departs Les Rouges et Noir with a record of 12 goals and 10 assists from 92 matches.

The 2002-born attacker - who is comfortable on the left or right wing - netted a personal best of six Ligue 1 goals in 29 matches last term and opened his account for the 2023-24 season in Rennes' 5-1 thrashing of Metz on the opening weekend.

Doku also has two goals and three assists to show from 14 games for the Belgium national team, representing the Red Devils at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup since making his debut as an 18-year-old.

"Jeremy is a very exciting young player and I'm so pleased he's joining us," Man City's director of football Txiki Begiristain added. "In terms of raw attributes, he has everything a winger needs.

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"He has outstanding pace and he is exceptional in one-on-one situations. I honestly believe working with Pep and the technical staff here at City will see him develop into a world-class attacking talent."

Doku arrives at the Etihad following the departure of Riyad Mahrez to Al-Ahli and joins the likes of Bernardo Silva, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish in Guardiola's well-stocked attacking ranks.

The highly-rated Belgian could potentially make his debut for the Premier League champions in Sunday's clash with Sheffield United, and City are still expected to be active in the final week of the transfer window.

Guardiola's side are believed to have failed with a £47m bid for Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Nunes, who is valued at £60m by his current club, while they are also said to be admirers of Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze.

A big-money move for West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta was strongly mooted too, but those plans have been shelved amid an investigation into the Brazilian's alleged betting breaches.