MANCHESTER CITY HAVE completed the £55.5million (€64.7m) signing of Belgium winger Jeremy Doku from Rennes, the Premier League champions have announced.
The 21-year-old has signed a five-year deal with the treble winners to become their third major signing of the summer transfer window.
City had an offer for the player accepted earlier this week and formalities have been completed over the past couple of days.
Doku said: “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 (manager) Pep (Guardiola) and his staff, and playing alongside these world-class players, will make me a much better player. I feel sure of that.
“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 came through the youth ranks at Anderlecht before joining Rennes in 2020.
Noted for his pace, he made his international debut in 2018 and featured at both Euro 2020 and last year’s World Cup.
He said: “I am quick, I am strong, I like to dribble. Those are my abilities that I like to rely on.
“I think the way I dribble, my speed – those are things that I can add to the group.
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“Of course, the group is already a top group with a lot of top players, but I think that I can add that to the group.”
Doku’s arrival follows those of Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic earlier in the summer.
The club have also been linked with moves for midfielders Matheus Nunes and Eberechi Eze, of Wolves and Crystal Palace respectively, but have not commented on the speculation.
Guardiola’s midfield resources have been depleted following the departures of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez this summer and with Doku’s international team-mate, Kevin De Bruyne, likely to be out injured for several months.
City director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “Jeremy is a very exciting young player and I’m so pleased he’s joining us.
“In terms of raw attributes, he has everything a winger needs. 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.”
Earlier today, Aymeric Laporte completed his move from Manchester City to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
The Saudi Pro League outfit are understood to have paid a fee of £23.5 million (€27 million) for the 29-year-old Spain defender, who has spent the past five-and-a-half years at the Etihad Stadium.
Laporte follows Mahrez to the Middle East country after the Algerian joined Al-Ahli earlier in the summer transfer window.
Laporte told City’s website, www.mancity.com: “I am proud to have represented Manchester City over the last six seasons.
“When I first joined, I was excited about the prospect of winning trophies. However, I could not have imagined the success we would go on to achieve together.
“I would like to thank the coaches, my teammates and of course the brilliant City fans for all of their support throughout my time in Manchester.
“I will always be a City fan and I look forward to seeing you all again.”
Laporte, who joined City from Athletic Bilbao in a £57 million (€66 million) deal in January 2018, won five Premier League titles, the Champions League and five domestic cups as a member of Pep Guardiola’s squad.
However, he had fallen down the pecking order at City over the past year and the recent arrival of Josko Gvardiol had pushed him further to the fringes.
City director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “Aymeric has been an excellent player for Manchester City during a great time for the club.
“He fitted into the team seamlessly upon arrival in 2018 and played a key role in many of our successes over the years that have followed.
“The form of the other defenders in the squad made it hard for him to find sufficient game time in 2022-23 and we respect his decision to seek a move elsewhere.
“I look forward to following his career from afar.”
Laporte joins an increasingly star-studded squad at Riyadh-based Al-Nassr, where his team-mates will include Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Marcelo Brozovic.
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Jeremy Doku joins Manchester City on five-year deal as Laporte departs
LAST UPDATE | 24 Aug 2023
MANCHESTER CITY HAVE completed the £55.5million (€64.7m) signing of Belgium winger Jeremy Doku from Rennes, the Premier League champions have announced.
The 21-year-old has signed a five-year deal with the treble winners to become their third major signing of the summer transfer window.
City had an offer for the player accepted earlier this week and formalities have been completed over the past couple of days.
Doku said: “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 (manager) Pep (Guardiola) and his staff, and playing alongside these world-class players, will make me a much better player. I feel sure of that.
“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 came through the youth ranks at Anderlecht before joining Rennes in 2020.
Noted for his pace, he made his international debut in 2018 and featured at both Euro 2020 and last year’s World Cup.
He said: “I am quick, I am strong, I like to dribble. Those are my abilities that I like to rely on.
“I think the way I dribble, my speed – those are things that I can add to the group.
“Of course, the group is already a top group with a lot of top players, but I think that I can add that to the group.”
Doku’s arrival follows those of Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic earlier in the summer.
The club have also been linked with moves for midfielders Matheus Nunes and Eberechi Eze, of Wolves and Crystal Palace respectively, but have not commented on the speculation.
Guardiola’s midfield resources have been depleted following the departures of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez this summer and with Doku’s international team-mate, Kevin De Bruyne, likely to be out injured for several months.
City director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “Jeremy is a very exciting young player and I’m so pleased he’s joining us.
“In terms of raw attributes, he has everything a winger needs. 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.”
Earlier today, Aymeric Laporte completed his move from Manchester City to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
The Saudi Pro League outfit are understood to have paid a fee of £23.5 million (€27 million) for the 29-year-old Spain defender, who has spent the past five-and-a-half years at the Etihad Stadium.
Laporte follows Mahrez to the Middle East country after the Algerian joined Al-Ahli earlier in the summer transfer window.
Laporte told City’s website, www.mancity.com: “I am proud to have represented Manchester City over the last six seasons.
“When I first joined, I was excited about the prospect of winning trophies. However, I could not have imagined the success we would go on to achieve together.
“I would like to thank the coaches, my teammates and of course the brilliant City fans for all of their support throughout my time in Manchester.
“I will always be a City fan and I look forward to seeing you all again.”
Laporte, who joined City from Athletic Bilbao in a £57 million (€66 million) deal in January 2018, won five Premier League titles, the Champions League and five domestic cups as a member of Pep Guardiola’s squad.
However, he had fallen down the pecking order at City over the past year and the recent arrival of Josko Gvardiol had pushed him further to the fringes.
City director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “Aymeric has been an excellent player for Manchester City during a great time for the club.
“He fitted into the team seamlessly upon arrival in 2018 and played a key role in many of our successes over the years that have followed.
“The form of the other defenders in the squad made it hard for him to find sufficient game time in 2022-23 and we respect his decision to seek a move elsewhere.
“I look forward to following his career from afar.”
Laporte joins an increasingly star-studded squad at Riyadh-based Al-Nassr, where his team-mates will include Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Marcelo Brozovic.
- Updated with Jeremy Doku news.
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