EPL

Manchester City secure winger Jeremy Doku from Rennes on five-year deal

By Sports Desk August 24, 2023

Manchester City have completed the £55.5million signing of Belgium winger Jeremy Doku from Rennes, the Premier League champions have announced.

The 21-year-old has signed a five-year deal with the treble winners to become their third major signing of the summer transfer window.

City had an offer for the player accepted earlier this week and formalities have been completed over the past couple of days.

Doku said: “This is a great day for me, both personally and professionally. Manchester City are the best team in world football, so to be joining them is something very special for me and my family.

“I am a young player with so much learning and improving to do. Working with (manager) Pep (Guardiola) and his staff, and playing alongside these world-class players, will make me a much better player. I feel sure of that.

“Watching City last season was amazing. To win the treble is the hardest thing in football and they did it. You cannot imagine how exciting it is to be joining this team. I cannot wait to get started. Hopefully I can make the fans happy.”

Doku came through the youth ranks at Anderlecht before joining Rennes in 2020.

Noted for his pace, he made his international debut in 2018 and featured at both Euro 2020 and last year’s World Cup.

He said: “I am quick, I am strong, I like to dribble. Those are my abilities that I like to rely on.

“I think the way I dribble, my speed – those are things that I can add to the group.

“Of course, the group is already a top group with a lot of top players, but I think that I can add that to the group.”

Doku’s arrival follows those of Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic earlier in the summer.

The club have also been linked with moves for midfielders Matheus Nunes and Eberechi Eze, of Wolves and Crystal Palace respectively, but have not commented on the speculation.

Guardiola’s midfield resources have been depleted following the departures of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez this summer and with Doku’s international team-mate, Kevin De Bruyne, likely to be out injured for several months.

City director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “Jeremy is a very exciting young player and I’m so pleased he’s joining us.

“In terms of raw attributes, he has everything a winger needs. He has outstanding pace and he is exceptional in one-on-one situations.

“I honestly believe working with Pep and the technical staff here at City will see him develop into a world-class attacking talent.”

Related items

  • Vardy eyes 100-point season after Leicester's title win Vardy eyes 100-point season after Leicester's title win

    Jamie Vardy has challenged his Leicester City team-mates to reach 100 points after sealing the Championship title with one game to spare.

    The Foxes were promoted back to the Premier League without kicking a ball after Leeds United’s 4-0 defeat to QPR on Friday, but they needed to win on Monday to earn top spot.

    Enzo Maresca’s side cruised to a 3-0 victory over Preston through Vardy’s brace and Kasey McAteer’s header, moving them to 97 points.

    With one last milestone in their reach, Vardy wants to make sure they end an already successful season on a high.

    Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “We can celebrate it tonight, but now we have another target which is 100 points.

    “We are over the moon. It has gone by quick but it's a graft. Not many days off, I'll tell you that.

    “The lads - they've given it all. Thoroughly deserved, and I'm glad we've had 5000 to come and celebrate with us. It's not like it's 20 minutes up the road."

    After a run of just three victories from nine games in the league between mid-February and April, Leicester have now won each of their last three outings.

    Maresca has praised his players for their hard work in what he labelled a “tough season”.

    “Fantastic, it's been a fantastic season. The Championship is a tough season and very intense, but I'm very happy," said Maresca.

    "Now it's time to enjoy the work of the season to bring this special club back to the Premier League. We deserve it.

    “The last two days they have been fantastic. We got promoted, but it was difficult in game preparation. But we used all of today to prepare for the game, the morning and afternoon. It was good.”

  • Barcelona 4-2 Valencia: Lewandowski hat-trick leads Barca to 4-2 win over 10-man Valencia Barcelona 4-2 Valencia: Lewandowski hat-trick leads Barca to 4-2 win over 10-man Valencia

    Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski scored a second-half hat-trick to help his side fight back to claim a hard-fought 4-2 win over Valencia, who were leading 2-1 when they were reduced to 10 men just before the break.

    Fermin Lopez's header from a Raphinha cross put Barca in front after 22 minutes, but Valencia's Hugo Duro struck in the 27th and Pepelu scored from the spot after a foul by Ronald Araujo 11 minutes later to give the visitors the lead.

    But after Valencia keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili saw red for a handball outside the box before the break, Xavi's side dominated and Lewandowski scored with two headers from corners in the 49th and 82nd minutes before getting his treble with a free-kick in added time.

    The win postponed Real Madrid's almost inevitable LaLiga title celebrations for a couple of weeks as Carlo Ancelotti's side sit atop the standings on 84 points.

    Barcelona moved back to second in LaLiga on Monday with 73 points as they leapfrogged surprise package Girona, who are third with 71. Those two teams will meet in a Catalonia derby on Saturday.

    Data debrief

    Barcelona conceded two goals in the first half of a home game for the second time this season, after also doing so against Girona in LaLiga in December 2023. 

    However, Lewandowski's goals have been invaluable to La Blaugrana this season as he's earned 17 points with his 16 goals in the league.

  • Kimmich ready to open Bayern Munich talks amid Barcelona speculation Kimmich ready to open Bayern Munich talks amid Barcelona speculation

    Joshua Kimmich is ready to open talks with Bayern Munich over his future at the club amid speculation linking him with Barcelona.

    The Germany international has spent nine years at the Allianz Arena, but he is due to become a free agent at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

    Barca have been repeatedly linked with Kimmich in recent transfer windows and are said to retain an interest ahead of next season.

    Speaking to Spanish outlet AS, the midfielder talked up Barca - as well as fierce rivals Real Madrid - but fell short of saying he is open to a move.

    "I want to talk to Bayern. When I do that, I won't go out and talk to the press about it," he said. 

    "I'm not thinking about this. I will speak to Bayern first. But of course, Barcelona and Real Madrid are amazing clubs with an amazing history."

    Kimmich has played 37 times in all competitions this season for Bayern, whose last remaining hope of silverware is in the Champions League.

    Bayern will face Real Madrid over two legs for a place in the final, with the first match in that double-header taking place in Bavaria on Tuesday.

    Thomas Tuchel will depart the dethroned Bundesliga champions at the end of the season, with Ralf Rangnick the favourite to succeed him.

    The managerial uncertainty is not helping with regards to the Kimmich rumours, but he insists that will not be a deciding factor on his future.

    "It's not the most important thing right now," he said. "I know that when you sign a contract you don't sign it with the coach. 

    "You sign it with the club. For me, the most important thing is the club, not just the coach. 

    "But it's also important to know what the coach thinks about you and the team. Other people in the club can worry about choosing the coach."

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.