Man City finally sign Rodri replacement with £49m splurge on Porto star | OneFootball

Manchester City have taken their spending in the winter transfer window to £172m by bringing in Nico Gonzalez from Porto for £49m.

The Premier League champions, who have been the biggest spenders of the window, belatedly signed a midfielder just before the deadline by buying the 23-year-old Spaniard.

Gonzalez has signed a four-and-a-half year contract at the Etihad Stadium and has become City’s fourth signing in 15 days.

He joins £59m forward Omar Marmoush, £33m centre-back Abdudokir Khusanov and £29m defender Vitor Reis as the additions in Pep Guardiola’s new-year spending spree.

City have been short of young legs at the centre of the pitch, with Guardiola describing his midfield last week as “old”, in the extended absence of the injured Rodri.

They had originally hoped to get through the rest of the season without buying a midfielder but were forced to recruit as they struggled, losing 11 games since the end of October, dropping out of the top four in the Premier League and only finishing 22nd in the Champions League group stage.

But they described Gonzalez as the "ideal acquisition". They had considered a number of other midfielders and were interested in loaning Douglas Luiz, but Juventus would not let the Brazilian go without an obligation to buy him.

Nico Gonzalez has signed from Porto (AFP via Getty Images)

Gonzalez, who Porto bought from Barcelona for just €8.5m in 2023, 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 set-up.

“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.”

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.”

Elsewhere on transfer deadline day, Tottenham completed a loan move for Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel after he underwent an incredible change of heart.

Spurs agreed a £50.2m permanent deal for 19-year-old Tel last week but the player didn’t want to join the north London club, with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United also interested.

But a long chat with Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou caused tell to U-turn today and he’ll join the club for the second half of the season, while the deal includes the option to make the transfer permanent in the summer.

Aston Villa signed three-time Champions League winner Marco Asensio on loan from PSG until the end of the season to bolster their attacking options further after bringing in Marcus Rashford temporarily from Manchester United. Villa were also set to confirm the loan signing of Chelsea centre-back Axel Disasi late on Monday evening, while Joao Felix was set to exit Stamford Bridge for AC Milan.

Meanwhile, Ben Chilwell was given a route out of his Chelsea hell by signing on loan with Crystal Palace, who let the versatile Jeffrey Schlupp leave on loan to Scottish champions Celtic.

Chelsea have also allowed 21-year-old midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka to join Borussia Dortmund on loan with an option to make the move permanent in the summer, while striker Evan Ferguson reunited with former Brighton boss Graham Potter after moving on loan to West Ham, who also have James Ward-Prowse back in the ranks after his loan at Nottingham Forest was cancelled.

The Seagulls have signed 19-year-old Stefanos Tzimas from Bundesliga 2 side FC Nuremberg for a reported £20m and loaned him back for the remainder of the season, as Juventus signed Newcastle defender Lloyd Kelly on loan with an obligation to buy in a reported £20m deal.