Manchester City and Benfica have reached an agreement on Rubén Dias and Nicolás Otamendi. The listed club from Lisbon announced an agreement on a transfer fee of 68 million euros for Dias in the night from Sunday to Monday. The amount for the 23-year-old defender can rise by another 3.6 million euros. Otamendi is taking the opposite direction and is the successor of Dias in the Estádio da Luz in a separate deal of fifteen million euros.

Although both Dias and Otamendi have yet to undergo a medical examination and sign a contract, no complications are expected anymore. That means Pep Guardiola has finally gotten his desired right-footed center-back. After Vincent Kompany’s departure, the Spaniard was forced to fill in the center of defense in alternative ways. Manchester City started on Sunday against Leicester City with Nathan Aké and the inexperienced Eric Garcia in the heart of the defense and although the opponent had only 29 percent possession of the ball, they still scored five times: 2-5. Until Sunday, a Guardiola team had never had to swallow five goals against.

Aymeric Laporte had been injured for a long time last season, while Otamendi and John Stones were unable to meet expectations. Fernandinho was often the emergency bandage. Garcia, in turn, has no plans to renew his expiring contract and appears to be returning to Barcelona next summer. With Aké and now also Dias, Guardiola has more flavors in the back. The 23-year-old Portuguese, who will sign at the Etihad Stadium until mid-2025, has impressed Benfica in recent seasons and has played a total of 133 matches in all competitions. He came to eighteen A-caps in the past two years and last year won the Nations League as a base force by beating the Netherlands in the final.

For Otamendi nine years older, who will sign a contract until mid-2023, the Portuguese league is no unknown territory. The Argentinian previously played 124 games for arch-rival FC Porto, the club with which he won no less than eight prizes. At Benfica he has to form a duo with Jan Vertonghen.