21-year-old joins Blues on a four year deal
Manchester City have confirmed the signing of Sergio Gomez from RSC Anderlecht for a fee believed to be in the region of £11m. The Spanish under-21 international has signed a four-year deal that will see him stay at The Etihad until 2026.
A left-back was a priority for the Blues in this transfer window, with Benjamin Mendy's ongoing legal case and Oleksandar Zinchenko leaving for Arsenal. A move for Brighton's Marc Cucurella fell through when the club were unwilling to match Brighton's valuation, and the player subsequently joined Chelsea.
It was initially assumed that Gomez would immediately leave on loan and that the club would pursue a more experienced player for the position. However, manager Pep Guardiola confirmed last week that Gomez would be given the opportunity to prove himself as understudy to Joao Cancelo.
Gomez started his career at Barcelona's academy, before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2018. He then spent the following two seasons on loan at Spanish side Huesca, before joining Anderlecht last year. A highly successful campaign saw him named as the Belgian side's Player of the Season, making 49 appearances for the club.
“I am incredibly proud and happy to have joined Manchester City,” Gomez said.
“City are the best team in England and in Pep Guardiola I have a chance to learn and develop under the most outstanding manager in world football.
“To be able to be part of this club is a dream come true for me and something any young player would aspire to.
“The number of trophies City have won over the past few years has been incredible and the style of football the team plays under Pep is the most exciting in Europe.
“Playing for and being guided by Pep and his coaches is going to be very special.
“I’ve heard so much about the City fans and how passionate they are, so I can’t wait to get started and to try and help the Club achieve even more.”
Director of Football Txiki Begiristain added: “We are delighted to be able to welcome Sergio to Manchester City. He is a very exciting young talent.
“Sergio’s development in recent seasons has been very impressive - he is an accomplished defender with great potential.
“Over the past year, he has gained excellent experience playing in the Belgian League and in Europe with Anderlecht.
“We’re sure that he will bring additional quality to our squad both in defence and going forward and that he will only continue to develop and improve playing under Pep and his coaches.”