Manchester City sign £52m Benjamin Mendy to take spending over £200m | Football
Manchester City have taken their summer spending to more than £200m with the signing of Benjamin Mendy from Monaco and increased their total outlay in the transfer market since Pep Guardiola took charge 13 months ago to £385m.
The transfer fee of £52m (€57.5m) for Mendy is a world record for a defender and is Guardiola’s latest signal of intent as he seeks to build a squad capable of winning major silverware in his second season at the Etihad Stadium.
City’s spending is closing in on Real Madrid’s record for money outlayed in a single transfer window by one club, set when the Spanish club spent €257m (£230m) in the summer of 2009 bringing in Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema, Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Mendy, who has signed a five-year contract with City, had been identified as a key target by Guardiola following the departure of the left-back Gaël Clichy at the end of last season and Aleksandar Kolarov, who left for Roma last week after seven years at the club. His signing completes a transformation of City’s defence since Guardiola’s appointment last summer.
City confirmed over the weekend the £26.5m switch from Real Madrid of Danilo, who is expected to provide cover for the first-choice full-backs Mendy and the £45m signing from Tottenham Hotspur, Kyle Walker. They will line up alongside other expensive arrivals including the centre-back John Stones, signed last season for £47m, and the £34.9m goalkeeper Ederson from Benfica.
The signing of Mendy, in particular, is a statement not only of City’s financial firepower but also of Guardiola’s determination to build the kind of ruthless attacking machine which he developed at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Mendy, 23, came through Le Havre’s youth system before a move to Marseille in 2013. He switched to Monaco last summer for £11m where he established himself as one of the best full-backs in the world with his powerful and direct style of play as the club claimed the French title and reached the Champions League semi-finals.
Like Walker, Mendy is at his most effective going forward and City will hope the duo can add a surge of energy in wide areas that was lacking last season; Guardiola received some criticism for switching between four and three at the back and deploying his full-backs in unfamiliar roles tucked into midfield. City’s new recruits indicate a move towards a more typical and consistent four-man defence, although Mendy and Walker are comfortable at wing-back.
Mendy will join City’s squad in Los Angeles where Guardiola’s side are preparing to face Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup .
“I am absolutely delighted to be joining Manchester City,†Mendy said. “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.â€
Txiki Begiristain, City’s director of football, 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 No1 target in this position. We are all delighted to have him here at Manchester City.â€
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