Manchester City close in on Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji

My Football Facts ⇒ Articles

By Martin Graham | 31st Aug 2022

Manchester City have made a late approach for Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji.

The Sky Blues hope to land the Swiss defender, who is in the final year of his contract with the BVB.

Manchester City do not have problems with scoring goals following the arrival of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez. The Norwegian has scored six Premier League goals and is leading the goalscoring chart.

The Sky Blues sit comfortably in second on the log, two points behind table-topping Arsenal.

Manchester City have scored 13 league goals in the Premier League this season. Only Liverpool have scored as many, following the 9-0 win over Bournemouth.

The Sky Blues, however, have a problem keeping the goals out. In the four matches they have played this season, the Citizens conceded five goals in two games and went behind first in both games.

It is a worrying trend for Pep Guardiola, and the Spanish manager is keen to fix the problem. Manchester City are closing in on Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji as they hope to seal a deal before the transfer market shuts.

Late swoop for Manuel Akanji

Manchester City have defensive worries and need to rectify the problems. Pep Guardiola wants to sign another defender to beef up his already brimming defence. The Sky Blues are close to signing Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji in what will be their fifth signing of the summer.

Guardiola wants to plug the leaks in his rearguard. He has targeted the Swiss defender as the answer to his woes. Arsenal had links to the defender earlier in the summer, but Manchester City are making a late move to bring the defender to the Etihad.

Both clubs are negotiating with sources claiming Akanji is close to a £17.5m move to the Etihad. The 27-year-old defender is in the final year of his contract at the Signal Iduna Park, and the talks are progressing well.

Akanji drops down the pecking order at Dortmund

When pressed whether Man City would still make further signings this summer, Pep Guardiola said he didn’t know what would happen. The transfer window shuts on Thursday.

Despite many centre-backs with Ruben Dias, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake in their ranks, Man City are still keen on adding another defender. Laporte and Nathan Ake are both injured, and Guardiola wants to beef up that department.

Man City do not plan on selling any of the four defenders to make room for the Swiss international. Akanji has 41 caps for Switzerland. He made his international debut in 2017 and joined Dortmund from Basel in 2018.

Akanji was a first-team regular with 36 appearances last season. The arrival of Niklas Sule from Bayern Munich and Nico Schlotterbeck from Freiburg has forced Akanji down the pecking order at the BVB. He is yet to make any appearance this term and would be keen to leave the club.

Manchester City have made several signings this summer but are ready to use the chequebook again before the transfer window shuts. They have spent £110m on three players, including new star striker Erling Haaland.