Nico Gonzalez ‘honoured’ to join Manchester City after signing from Porto

Spaniard moves to Etihad Stadium on a four-and-a-half year deal

Nico Gonzalez, 23, joined Manchester City before the close of Monday's winter transfer window. AFP

Manchester City concluded the January transfer window by signing midfielder Nico Gonzalez from Porto before Monday's deadline.

Gonzalez, 23, joins the English champions on a four-and-a-half year deal with various reports putting the transfer fee at €60 million.

The fee pushed City's total spend in this transfer window to around £180 million, almost the same as all the other Premier League clubs combined.

The Spaniard is the fourth addition to Pep Guardiola's squad after the arrivals of Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis.

"This is the perfect opportunity for me at this stage of my career," Gonzalez said in a statement released by the club.

“I am 23 and I want to test myself in England. There’s no better club than Manchester City for me to do that.

“Look at the squad they have here … it’s unbelievable, full of world-class players. There isn’t a footballer in the world who would not want to be part of this setup.

“I know the reputation Pep has and I cannot wait to work with him. In fact, I am honoured he wants me to play in his team.

“I am truly excited. I just want to meet my teammates, and the staff here and then I want to play in front of the City fans.”

City have been keen to add midfield reinforcements since Ballon d'Or winner Rodri was ruled out for the season through injury in September.

That coincided with a downturn in results that saw City fall behind in the Premier League title race and struggle to make the play-offs in the Uefa Champions League.

A recent uptick in results was disintegrated on Sunday when City suffered a 5-1 defeat to Arsenal that left them 15 points off leaders Liverpool down in fifth place.

A product of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, Gonzalez made his debut for Barcelona B in 2019 and made 27 appearances. The midfielder made his debut for the first team in 2021, playing 37 times for the Catalan club.

Gonzalez spent the 2022/23 season on loan with Valencia before making the permanent switch to Porto in the summer of 2023. The 23-year-old played 68 times for Porto, guiding them to the Portuguese Cup last season. He also scored nine goals and got nine assists during his time at the club.

City's director of football Txiki Begiristain saidd: “Nico is a very talented young midfielder. He is an ideal acquisition for Manchester City.

“It was a difficult transfer to complete because his performances have been outstanding, and he has been such an important part of what FC Porto are doing this season. We are really happy we have managed to get this done before the window closed.

“He is ready to help us in the second half of the season as we compete in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Club World Cup.”