Manchester City pays big money for another defender Ruben Dias
CGTN
Ruben Dias shows his #3 jersey of Manchester City for Portrait at City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, September 29, 2020. /VCG

Ruben Dias shows his #3 jersey of Manchester City for Portrait at City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, September 29, 2020. /VCG

Manchester City signed center back Ruben Dias from Benfica, announced the club on Wednesday. According to ESPN, Man City paid 68 million euros (about $79.6 million) with add-ons for the transfer. Meanwhile, the club's Argentine defender Nicolas Otamendi was sent to Benfica in a 15-million-euro (about $17.6 million) deal.

"Ruben is a player we have admired for some time and we have been impressed with how he has progressed at Benfica. He has developed into a real leader and as a defender, he has all the attributes we are looking for," said Txiki Begiristain, director of football of City in a statement.

"To have the opportunity to join a club like Manchester City is a fantastic opportunity for me and one I couldn't turn down. It is really exciting to be part of such a talented squad and to play for a world class manager like Pep Guardiola, who has a proven track record of developing young players like myself," said Dias.

Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, reacts to the Premier League game against Leicester City at City of Manchester Stadium, September 27, 2020. /VCG

Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, reacts to the Premier League game against Leicester City at City of Manchester Stadium, September 27, 2020. /VCG

Having played 137 games in four years for Benfica, Dias won the Portuguese Liga title with the club in the 2018-19 season. Before signing Dias, Man City had negotiated with Napoli over Kalidou Koulibaly, Atletico Madrid for Jose Gimenez and Sevilla for Jules Kounde. All three clubs asked for too much for City to accept. In the end, the club decided to land Dias.

The other reason for Man City to rush such a deal was their painful 5-2 loss to Leicester City on September 27. It was not only the biggest loss for the team since 2003, but also the first time they allowed five goals since Pep Guardiola became their manager.

One interesting fact is that since Guardiola took over, Man City already spent over 400 million pounds (about 514 million U.S. dollars) introducing defenders.