Manchester City have
announced the signing of Benjamin Mendy from Monaco on a five-year contract for
a fee of around £52m (€57.5m). The France international had been identified as
a key target by Pep Guardiola following the departure of left-back Gaël Clichy,
while Aleksandar Kolarov also departed for Roma last week.
Mendy came through Le Havre’s youth system
before a move to Marseille in 2013. The 23-year-old switched to Monaco last summer for £11m where he
established himself as one of the best full-backs in world football with his
powerful and direct style of play, during a season in which the club claimed
the French title and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Mendy’s arrival is the latest signal of intent
from Guardiola as he seeks to build a squad capable of winning major silverware
in his second season. The transfer takes City’s spending in the current
transfer window beyond £200m, with Mendy joining fellow right-backs Kyle Walker
and Danilo as new signings at the Etihad, along with the goalkeeper Ederson and
midfielders Douglas Luiz and Bernardo Silva.
Mendy will now join up with City’s squad in
Los Angeles where Guardiola’s side are preparing to face Real Madrid in the
Champions Cup.
“I am absolutely delighted to be joining
Manchester City,” said Mendy. “They are one of Europe’s leading clubs and in
Pep Guardiola they have a manager committed to playing attacking football. I am
sure that over the next few years we will be successful.”
City’s director of football, Txiki
Begiristain, said: “Benjamin has all the qualities we are looking for in a
full-back. For such a young player, he has a wealth of top-level experience. He
is undoubtedly one of the world’s best full-backs, our number one target in
this position. We are all delighted to have him here at Manchester City. I’m
sure he will prove a fantastic addition to the squad.”
Guardian
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