Manchester City have completed the signing of Ruben Dias from Benfica.
The Portugal international centre-back has cost City €71.5million, with Nicolas Otamendi swapping the Etihad for the Estadio da Luz.
Dias' capture means Pep Guardiola has now spent a whopping €438million on defenders alone since his arrival in 2016.
John Stones, Danilo, Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy, Aymeric Laporte, Angelino, Joao Cancelo and Nathan Ake all pre-date Dias through the Eastlands entrance, to varying degrees of success.
The need to sign a proven centre-back was evident in City's 5-2 defeat at home to Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
"To have the opportunity to join a club like Manchester City is a fantastic opportunity for me and one I couldn’t turn down," Dias told City's website.
ＨＥＲＥ ＨＥ ＩＳ！ 😍
Welcome Ruben Dias to City!
🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/e1PXlBadvR— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 29, 2020
"Their success speaks for itself. They have been the dominant team in England over the last few years, playing an attacking brand of football which I feel suits my own game.
"It is really exciting to be part of such a talented squad and to play for a world class manager like Pep Guardiola, who has a proven track record of developing young players like myself.
“I believe I can improve here, at a club whose ambitions match my own and I will give everything to be successful and win titles."
City's director of football Txiki Begiristain says they've been tracking Dias' progress for some time.
"He has developed into a real leader and as a defender, he has all the attributes we are looking for", Begiristain said.
"He is strong in the air, good in one v one situations and technically, he is very good, so we are confident he can thrive in our system."
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