Manchester City confirmed the signing of midfielder Nico Gonzalez from Porto on winter transfer deadline day.
He has signed a four-and-a-half year deal after City reportedly triggered the £50m release clause with the Portuguese club for his services as he became the fourth senior player to sign for City in this season’s winter transfer window after the arrivals of Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis, and Abdudokir Khusanov.
Sierra Leonean defender Juma Bah also arrived and has since been loaned out to RC Lens.
The deal takes City’s winter transfer spending to £180m – second only to Chelsea’s £275m in 2023 – and more than the rest of the Premier League put together in the current window (£177m).
Gonzalez will wear the number 14 shirt for City and is expected to slot straight in as a defensive midfielder who can also play further forward.
The young Spaniard has just turned 23 and has played 68 times for Porto – scoring 9 goals and making 9 assists – and helped his team lift the Taca de Portugal (Portuguese FA Cup) last season.
The defensive midfielder is a product of the famed Barcelona academy – La Masia – and started his career with Barcelona B in 2019, making 27 appearances.
He followed that with a full debut for Barca in 2021, playing a total of 37 times for the club.
He sent the 2022/23 season on loan with Valencia before signing for Porto in the summer of 2023.
Commenting on the deal, Gonzalez said: “This is the perfect opportunity for me at this stage of my career.
“I am 23 and I want to test myself in England.
“There’s no better club than Manchester City for me to do that.
“Look at the squad they have here… it’s unbelievable, full of world-class players.
“There isn’t a footballer in the world who would not want to be part of this setup.
“I know the reputation Pep has and I cannot wait to work with him. In fact, I am honoured he wants me to play in his team.
“I am truly excited. I just want to meet my teammates, and the staff here and then I want to play in front of the City fans!”
Director of Football Txiki Begiristain added: “Nico is a very talented young midfielder. He is an ideal acquisition for Manchester City.
“It was a difficult transfer to complete because his performances have been outstanding, and he has been such an important part of what FC Porto are doing this season.
“We are really happy we have managed to get this done before the window closed.
“He is ready to help us in the second half of the season as we compete in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Club World Cup.”