According to a report from the paper edition of Record via Sport Witness, given normal circumstances, spending €100 million (£89 million) to sign Benfica defender Ruben Dias ‘would not be a problem‘ – but a global pandemic has seemingly postponed City’s plans to snap up the 23-year-old colossus.
Dias, starting 24 league games for Benfica this season, has been a crucial figure in Aguias’ bid to challenge rivals FC Porto for the Portuguese title – winning an impressive 85.24% of his aerial duels when inside his own defensive third.
The 6ft 1 powerhouse, as a result, has been at the centre of City’s interest in recent months as we search for Vincent Kompany’s potential heir – with this report tipping us to launch an £89m offer to secure the defender’s signature.
Should City sign Dias for £89m?
Yes, do it
No, too much money
Speaking to BTV, Benfica club president Luis Filipe Vieira claimed that he could have sold two of his players for that amount each if it wasn’t for the recent pandemic – with one of them being striker Carlos Vinicius.
Record now theorise that the other player is Dias, with the paper touting City as the interested party to trigger his monumental release clause.
Fernandinho being unable to cover in his usual position, Aymeric Laporte’s absence and the worrying form of both John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi has potentially prompted City to look at defensive options for next campaign – and Dias could be the star candidate.
The centre-back, as well as making more tackles than both Laporte and Stones this season, has amassed an impressive 88.8% pass success rate – highlighting his ability as a ball-playing defender.
Whether or not we do trigger his release clause remains to be seen, but judging by his credentials, it certainly couldn’t hurt.