Who is Ruben Dias? Meet the Portugese sensation who can beef up Manchester City's defense this season
Pep Guardiola will be a happy man if things go as planned. The Manchester City manager was keen on signing Portuguese defender Ruben Dias to beef up his defense. The latest update sees the deal is pretty close to being finalized, according to multiple media reports. By the looks of it, the transfer is imminent.
According to Goal, City is reportedly ready to acquire Dias, who could cost around €55 million ($64m). A Sports Illustrated report said Dias is slated to agree to personal terms with City that also sees a contract until June 2025. The discussions currently are about the fee between City and Benefica, the team Dias currently plays for.
City's Nicolás Otamendi is also a potential discussion point in the deal the site adds. With these details implying that Dias will most probably don City's colors this season, there is much interest in learning about the player who will be making his Premier League debut.
Dias plays for Portugal. His international career is near damn impressive where he captained the Portugal Under-19 squad at the 2016 Under-19 Euro. He then went on to be the skipper for the U-20 side at the 2017 U-20 World Cup. He received a call-up to the senior side the following year and was part of Portugal's 23-man team for the FIFA World Cup in Russia. He debuted against Tunisia. His club career saw him become the topic of discussion with speculations rife he would play for Lyon, but the defender extended his contract with Benefica until 2023.
Dias has had a total of 89 appearances for Primeira Liga since the 2017-18 season and has featured 18 times for his national side. Guardiola's potential signee will fill in the void their former player Vincent Kompany left. City's defense has been an issue and Dias' signing might just be the fix.
According to some stat comparison made by Yahoo, it does appear Dias is perfectly suited for City's style of play. His 1,934 of his 2,184 passes suggest he's a lot more closer and in touch with the ball. He comes across as a dependable center-back as his numbers for possession, overall clearances and tackles augur well for the side. In addition to Dias, City also has their sights set on Sevilla defender Jules Kounde and Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez.
Manchester City takes on Leicester City on Sunday, September 27 at 11.30 am ET. The game can be watched live on NBCSN and fuboTV. Leicester is currently perched on top of the table with two wins from as many games while City is placed seventh with a win and a loss.
