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Manchester City have completed the signing of Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund.
The 27-year-old centre-back arrives on a five-year deal, which keeps him at the Club until the summer of 2027.
A 41-cap Swiss international who has won trophies in Switzerland and Germany, he follows in the footsteps of Stefan Ortega Moreno, Kalvin Phillips, Sergio Gomez and former Dortmund team-mate Erling Haaland to become our fifth signing of the summer, with Julian Alvarez also arriving following his loan spell with River Plate.
Akanji began his career at FC Winterthur in his homeland before moving to FC Basel, where he impressed enough in his three seasons to convince Dortmund to swoop for him in January 2018.
He made 158 appearances during his four-and-a-half year stay with the Black and Yellows, winning the German Super Cup in 2019 and the German Cup in 2020/21.
“I am delighted to be here, and can’t wait to get started,” Akanji said after completing his move to the Etihad Stadium.
“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.”
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 UEFA 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.”
