Manchester City Agrees $83 Million Deal With Benfica For Ruben Dias

Manchester City will sign defender Ruben Dias for an estimated value of $83 million, Benfica has announced. In exchange, Nicolas Otamendi will be sent the other way for a transfer fee of around $17.5 million.

After reports of Dias being considered as a possible Vincent Kompany replacement, Manchester City was able to secure a deal for the defender before the Oct. 5 transfer deadline, Sky Sports reported.

Throughout Dias’ career, he’s been a consistent contributor on the field with his excellent timing and defense. In 137 games with Benfica, he’s scored 12 times and tallied six assists. The former Portuguese champion appeared in 33 games in the latest Liga Nos where he served as the starting center back.

In Dias’ final game for Benfica, he ended his stint with the Eagles by scoring his 12th goal for the club.

"It was a very important game for me and being able to mark it with a goal was very special," Dias said, BBC reported.

Since joining Benfica's youth team in 2010, Dias has been praised as a hardworking individual in the club. His latest goal was a strong way to end his stay with the organization as it was a big piece in Benfica’s 2-0 win over Moreirense.

"I believe that everyone already has an idea why I hugged Rui Costa," Dias said of embracing the sporting director after scoring his last Benfica goal.

The main transfer target of Manchester City was reported to be Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly. This did not push through for Pep Guardiola’s squad as the star defender has remained with Napoli.

"I think Koulibaly is staying, we are very happy and so is he. He has three years on his current deal, I believe he is staying," Napoli’s director Cristiano Giuntoli told Sky Sports.

Despite Manchester City being unable to secure the services of Koulibaly, Dias remains to be a valuable piece for the club in years to come. The 23-year-old has shown leadership and maturity on the pitch under Jorge Jesus.

"He's a player we're sorry to see go, he came through the academy, is our captain and plays for the national team. I also take some of the blame for him leaving today," Jesus told Sky Sports.

Playing for Manchester City will be a big opportunity for Dias to show what he’s capable of doing for an elite Premier League team.

"This is also to do with getting knocked out of the Champions League and there are things that need to be balanced [financially] at management level," Jesus pointed out. "He has a high market value and is certainly already a fantastic player who will continue to improve."