Manchester City are turning to Benfica's Ruben Dias to help solve their defensive problems after the Portuguese club confirmed an agreement had been reached with the Premier League side for his transfer.
Dias will move to City for €68 million (Dh290m) plus add-ons, with Argentine defender Nicolas Otamendi going the other way in a separate transfer for €15m, Benfica said.
Benfica confirmed the transfers in a statement on Sunday but said the players would still need to sign their respective contracts.
Dias, 23, made 137 appearances during a four-year spell with the Portuguese club, winning the league title in 2018-19. He has appeared 19 times for Portugal and was part of the side that lifted the Uefa Nations League trophy last year.
His arrival will help shore up a leaky City defence, which shipped five goals to Leicester City on Sunday.
Dias captained and scored for Benfica in their 2-0 win over Moreinense on Saturday, and manager Jorge Jesus admitted it was likely to be the defender's final contribution to his boyhood club.
"I'm pretty sure it was his last game, but sometimes everything changes at the last second in football. I don't think that's going to happen, though," Jesus said.
"He's a player we're sorry to see go, he came through the academy, is our captain and plays for the national team. I also take some of the blame for him leaving today.
"This is also to do with getting knocked out of the Champions League and there are things that need to be balanced (financially) at management level. He has a high market value and is certainly already a fantastic player who will continue to improve."
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Man City v Leicester player ratings
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MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson – 5. Had no chance with four of Leicester’s goals and couldn’t be blamed for Vardy’s majestic second. But still, conceding five can hardly warrant a good rating. EPA -
Kyle Walker – 5. Conceded the penalty that allowed Leicester to level after getting the wrong side of Vardy. His pace got him out of trouble at times but a game to forget for the full-back. EPA -
Eric Garcia – 4. Lost Vardy for the striker’s second, before a clumsy foul on the Leicester man allowed him to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot. City desperately need Aymeric Laporte back. EPA -
Nathan Ake – 6. Shipping five on his first home league start is hardly ideal, even if he wasn’t to blame for any of the goals. Scored a good header, albeit a consolation. Reuters -
Benjamin Mendy – 3. Gave away a silly penalty toward the end of a shambolic display. Often caught out of position, most notably to allow Castagne space to set up Vardy’s second. The Frenchman looked set be the next great Premier League left-back before a succession of injuries struck. If he’s to recover that form, he’s got a long way to go. EPA -
Fernandinho – 5. Lacked his usual presence in midfield and left City open to Leicester’s counter-attacks. Subbed off after 51 minutes for Academy graduate Liam Delap. EPA -
Rodri – 6. The Spaniard started well as City controlled the first half hour, but as his team imploded, his influenced faded. PA -
Riyad Mahrez – 7. Opened the scoring against his old club with one of sweetest struck shots you’re likely to see this season. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for the Algerian, who didn’t really threaten for the other 86 minutes. He should probably get a 5 or generous 6, but his goal was that good. EPA -
Kevin De Bruyne – 5. One of the rare occasions where the Belgian didn’t dominate the game. Just couldn’t get anything going as Leicester refused to allow him any space. EPA -
Phil Foden – 6. Never really in the game and replaced after 64 minutes by new signing Ferran Torres. EPA -
Raheem Sterling – 5. Didn’t make any real impact on the game as Leicester sat deep. Easily handled by the visiting defence. EPA -
SUBS: Liam Delap (51’) – 6. Almost scored a league debut goal but saw his header hit the bar. Looks a promising talent and City’s demise against Leicester certainly not his fault. Reuters -
Ferran Torres (64’) – 5. Can’t remember a single thing the Spaniard did of note. An impact sub he was not. EPA -
LEICESTER CITY RATINGS: Kasper Schmeichel – 7. Had no chance with either goal but produced some good saves and commanded his area with typical authority. Reuters -
Daniel Amartey – 7. Deployed on the right side of a back three, the Ghanaian slotted seamlessly into the Leicester defence. A very pleasing performance on his first league appearance since October 2018 having been sidelined with a long-term ankle injury. AFP -
Jonnny Evans – 7. An assured display from the Northern Irishman, who alongside his defensive partners, kept City at bay. AP -
Çağlar Söyüncü – 8. Commanding performance from the Turkish centre-back. Hardly gave the City forwards an inch. A defender tailormade for the Premier League. AP -
Timothy Castagne – 8. Great run and low cross for Vardy’s second the highlight of another strong performance. The Belgian has taken quickly to life in the Premier League. AFP -
Nampalys Mendy – 7. Played a vital role in stifling City's attacks and ensuring their 72 per cent possession did not translate into goalscoring chances. EPA -
Youri Tielemans – 8. Top performance from a top player. Produced a perfectly weighted pass to Castagne to start the move for Leicester’s second and matched City’s midfield all game. Scored the third penalty. EPA -
James Justin – 7. Got forward in support of Leciester's counters and stuck to his defensive duties. A solid game. Getty Images -
Dennis Praet – 6. Difficult for a player like Praet to affect a game when his team see so little of the ball. Replaced on 69 minutes. Reuters -
Jamie Vardy –10. Smart turn to draw the foul for the penalty, which he comfortably converted, before a classy first-time finish for his and Leicester’s second. Won and converted a second penalty for his hat-trick to become the only player to score two trebles against Pep Guardiola’s City. Only one other player has scored a hat-trick against a Guardiola City side: Lionel Messi. AP -
Harvey Barnes – 8. Caused all sorts of problems for City’s defenders with his running on the ball. Played the pass that led to Vardy’s foul for the first penalty. The English forward is developing into a fine player. EPA -
SUBS: James Maddison (69’) – 8. Scored an absolute worldie to turn the win into a rout, curling a long-range effort into the top corner. Then won the penalty for Leicester’s fifth. Leicester will be even better when he’s back to full fitness. EPA -
Christian Fuchs (80’) – N/A AFP -
Kelechi Iheanacho (85’) – N/A. AFP
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Dias will be City's fifth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Pablo Moreno, Ferran Torres, Nathan Ake and Scott Carson.
Otamendi, 32, won two Premier League titles and an FA Cup with City and leaves after five seasons.
Improving City's backline has been a priority for manager Pep Guardiola, who saw his side struggle last season during the long-term injury absence of Aymeric Laporte and following the departure of captain Vincent Kompany.
Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly was thought to be Guardiola's top target but the Serie A club's valuation of the Senegal captain has proved too high, while City have denied claims a bid of £78m (Dh366m) bid was made for Jose Gimenez after the Atletico Madrid president said an approach had been rejected.
