Manchester City make late dash to sign Akanji from Borussia Dortmund

Manchester City make a late dash to sign Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund in £17.5m deal as Pep Guardiola looks to stock up with FIVE centre-backs this season

  • Manchester City are hoping to add to their four centre-backs at the club
  • However, Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake have been hit with injuries this term
  • City are in positive talks with Borussia Dortmund over a transfer of the defender
  • The 27-year-old is in the final year of his contract at Signal Iduna Park 

Manchester City are closing in on landing defender Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund to complete a potential fifth summer signing.

The centre-back has emerged as a target for the Premier League champions and their late move comes after he was linked with Arsenal earlier in the transfer window.

The clubs are in talks over a £17.5m move for the 27-year-old who is in the final year of his contract at Signal Iduna Park, and talks between the clubs are progressing well.

Manchester City are hoping to sign Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund in this window

Pep Guardiola refused to rule out City making further signings in the window on Tuesday when asked if City were still willing to do business, replying with: ‘I don’t know what will happen.’

Although City look well stocked for centre-backs in Ruben Dias, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake – the latter two have been hit with injury concerns.

With this in mind, it is understood that none of the four will be sold to make room for the arrival of the Switzerland international who has 41 caps.

After making his international debut in 2017, Akanji joined Dortmund from Basle a year later and had been a regular in the first-team playing 36 times last term.


City have injury concerns at the back including Aymeric Laporte (left) and Nathan Ake

However he has since lost his place in the team due to the summer arrivals at Dortmund including Niklas Sule from Bayern Munich as well as Nico Schlotterbeck from Freiburg and is yet to make an appearance this season.

City have already spent £110m on three players including new star striker Erling Haaland, England’s defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips and left-back Sergio Gomez from Anderlecht.

Akanji would also join back-up keeper Stefan Ortega who arrived on a free transfer, while Julio Alvarez is also part of the City squad this term having signed earlier this year and spent the first half of 2022 on loan at previous club River Plate. 

Pep Guardiola is hoping to bolster his centre-backs for the rest of the campaign


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