Manchester City has completed the signature of £ 50 million from midfielder Nico Gonzalez from Porto.
City took their expenses in the transfer window to £ 175 million with the conquest of the Spaniard, which has signed a deal of four and a half years until 2029. The 23-year-old, who will wear the No.14 shirt, is City's fourth arrival in January, after the signing sessions of Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Omar Marmoush.
Gonzalez said: “This is the perfect opportunity for me in this phase of my career. I am 23 and I want to test myself in England. There is no better club than Manchester City for me to do that. Look at the team they have her – it is incredible, full of world class players. There is no football player in the world who would not want to be part of this setup.
“I know the reputation that Pep has and I can't wait to work with him. In fact, I am honored that he wants me to play in his team. I'm really excited. I just want to meet my teammates and the staff here and then I want to play for the city fans. “
City director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “Nico is a very talented young midfielder. He is an ideal acquisition. It was a difficult transfer to complete because his performance has been excellent and he has been such an important part of what Porto is doing this season.
“We are really happy that we have managed to get this done before the window is closed. He is ready to help us in the second half of the season while we compete in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Club World Cup. “
Although Gonzalez had a release clause of £ 42 million in his contract, the city is supposed to have offered nearly £ 50 million for the player, in exchange for a more favorable payment structure of the deal.
City wants to add a central midfielder to strengthen their team since Ballon d'Or Winner Rodri last September a torn front cruciate ligament against Arsenal suffered, who ruled him for the season.
Gonzalez, who came through the famous Barcelona academy, just like city boss Pep Guardiola, scored seven goals and produced six assists in 29 performances for Porto this season. The versatility of the Spain Under-21 International to be able to play a series of midfield positions made him an attractive option for City, who had a great time with the forced loss of Rodri.
The positive net outputs of City in recent years have enabled them to strengthen considerably in this window, with the Premier League champions, currently in fourth place, 15 points behind leaders Liverpool, in danger that it is for the first time Since 2010 has missed a Champions League spot.
Guardiola's struggling champions, confronted with holders Real Madrid in a play-off of two legs to reach the Champions League-Knock-Rout phase, were beaten 5-1 on Sunday by Arsenal in the Emirates Stadium.
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