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Manchester City have reached an agreement to sign Portuguese defender Ruben Dias from Benfica for 65 million pounds.
City’s Argentine center-back Nicolas Otamendi, 32, will go upside down for roughly £ 13.7 million in a separate transfer.
Coach Pep Guardiola has wanted a central defender on the right side since Vincent Kompany retired last summer.
On Sunday night, Benfica issued a statement confirming the two transfers, but said the players have yet to sign the contracts.
Dias, 23, captained Benfica’s victory over Moreirense on Saturday, hugging his teammates and sporting director Rui Costa at the final whistle.
After the match, Dias, who had scored his twelfth goal for the club in 133 appearances, told Benfica TV: “It was a very important match for me and being able to score it with a goal was very special.
“I think everyone already has an idea why I hugged Rui Costa.”
The failure to secure a replacement for former captain Kompany was seen as one of the main reasons City did not pose further challenges to Liverpool in last season’s Premier League title race.
Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, 29, was initially City’s main target this summer, but the Italian club wanted £ 80 million for the Senegal defender, which City were unwilling to pay.
