Manchester City sign Portugal defender Dias from Benfica

Manchester City have completed the signing of Portugal defender Ruben Dias on a six-year deal from Benfica, the Premier League club said on Tuesday as they moved to strengthen their defence two days after a 5-2 home defeat by Leicester City.

Argentine defender Nicolas Otamendi moved the other way as part of the deal, ending a five-year spell with City.

Benfica announced earlier that 23-year-old Dias, who has played 19 times for Portugal, had moved for a transfer fee of Sh8.6 billion in variables while they agreed to pay Sh1.9 billion for Otamendi.

“Ruben is a player we have admired for some time and we have been impressed with how he has progressed at Benfica. He has developed into a real leader and as a defender, he has all the attributes we are looking for,” director of football Txiki Begiristain said in City’s statement.

“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.”

“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.”

Otamendi returns to Portugal after spending four years at Benfica’s rivals Porto. He made 210 appearances for City, scoring 11 goals and winning two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and four League Cups.