Manchester City agree £17m deal with Borussia Dortmund for centre-back Manuel Akanji, who is in the UK to undergo a medical with the Premier League champions; Pep Guardiola has refused to rule out making more signings in the final days of the transfer window
Thursday 1 September 2022 23:46, UK
Manchester City have agreed a deal in the region of £17m to sign defender Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund.
The deal is made up of an initial £15m payment plus £1.7m in add-ons, and Akanji is already in the UK and ready to undergo a medical with City.
Switzerland international Akanji had entered the final year of his contract at Dortmund and had yet to make an appearance for the Bundesliga club this season.
City boss Pep Guardiola refused to rule out making more signings before Thursday's transfer deadline in his press conference ahead of Wednesday's Premier League game against Nottingham Forest.
Asked about any further transfer business, Guardiola said: "I don't know, I don't know what will happen."
Akanji has been a target for Inter Milan this summer, according to Sky in Italy, who reported that Dortmund wanted between £13m (€15m) and £17m (€20m) to sell him.
City have four senior centre-backs in their squad, but Aymeric Laporte has yet to make an appearance this season due to injury. Ruben Dias, John Stones and Nathan Ake have competed for minutes but the latter is also currently sidelined.
Akanji moved to Dortmund from Basel in 2018 and has been a first-team regular since his arrival. He made 36 appearances in all competitions last term.
But the 27-year-old has been pushed down the pecking order at Dortmund with the summer arrivals of Niklas Sule from Bayern Munich and Nico Schlotterbeck from Freiburg.
Who will be on the move this summer before the transfer window closes at 11pm on September 1?
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
