Manchester City confirmed on Thursday afternoon that they’ve agreed a deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign Manuel Akanji, meaning he’ll renew acquaintances with Erling Haaland. The 27-year-old spent four years in Germany after joining the club from FC Basel and will now compete with John Stones, Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte for a starting place.
Where will Manchester City finish in the Premier League this season?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th or lower
Sky Sports say the Premier League defending champions have paid £15m for the centre-back while City revealed that Akanji will wear the No.25 shirt this season. Patrick Berger of Sport 1 (h/t Sport Witness) said days ago that Akanji will take home around €11m-a-year/€210k-per-week (£9.5m-a-year/£181k-per-week) in wages, so he’s already among the highest earners in the Premier League.
The Swiss international, who has operated at left-back and right-back in the past, has a contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2027, but it remains to be seen how much football he’ll get when everyone is fit. City have been short at the back of late as Ake and Laporte are injured, forcing Pep Guardiola to flood the substitutes with fullbacks, so Akanji will be much-needed cover.
What will happen to him when the pair return is up in the air, but City wouldn’t pay such a lofty wage to a player that isn’t good enough to contribute.
In other news, Manchester City receive an injury boost as Nathan Ake returns to light training