Jeremy Doku joins Manchester City from Rennes

• Belgian winger Jeremy Doku has been acquired by Manchester City from Rennes.
• Doku, 21, signed a five-year contract with the Premier League winners.
• Doku voiced his enthusiasm about the transfer saying: “This is a great day for me, both personally and professionally.”

Belgian winger Jeremy Doku has been acquired by Manchester City from Rennes.

Doku, 21, signed a five-year contract with the Premier League winners. The transfer cost was estimated by British media to be about 55 million pounds (USD 69.42 million), while the exact sum is yet unknown.

After signing the contract, Doku voiced his enthusiasm about the transfer and about working with Pep Guardiola to the official Man City website, saying: “This is a great day for me, both personally and professionally.

Before joining Rennes for £22.3 million in 2020, Doku spent eight years in the Anderlecht junior program. He leaves Rennes with a 92-game scoring and assists total of 12 goals and 10 assists.

Doku joins Manchester City from Rennes. Photo/Goal

The forward, who was born in 2002 and can play on either the left or right flank, scored six goals in Ligue 1 in 29 games last season, a career-high. He scored his first goal of the 2023–24 campaign in Rennes’ 5–1 thumping of Metz on the opening weekend.

READ: Bernardo Silva extends Manchester City contract till 2026

Since making his debut as an 18-year-old, Doku has played in 14 games for the Belgian national team, contributing two goals and three assists. Doku has also represented the Red Devils at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.

Txiki Begiristain, the director of football of Manchester City, expressed his excitement about Doku’s arrival. The winger was characterized as an “exciting young player” with “outstanding speed and excellent one-on-one capabilities” that were ideal for their attacking approach.

Begiristain expressed belief in the youngster’s potential and added that working with Guardiola and the staff might help Doku develop into a “world-class attacking talent.” Doku is Manchester City’s third new player this offseason after the team also added defender Josko Gvardiol and midfielder Mateo Kovacic from Croatia.

Jeremy Doku in action for Belgium. Photo/The Independent

Doku’s international future appears to be as promising, with a debut for Belgium’s senior squad in a 2-0 Nations League victory against Denmark in September 2020. Doku played as a substitute during Belgium’s early elimination from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, showing a hint of the potential that City has yet to completely realize.

READ: Premier League: The best bargains

Doku joins players like Bernardo Silva, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish, among others, in Guardiola’s well-stocked offensive ranks after Riyad Mahrez left for Al-Ahli.

The highly sought-after Belgian player may make his Premier League champions debut against Sheffield United on Sunday, and City are still anticipated to be busy in the last week of the transfer window.

Guardiola’s team is rumored to have failed in a £47 million deal for Matheus Nunes of Wolverhampton Wanderers, who is valued at £60 million by his present club. They are also thought to be fans of Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace.

Lucas Paqueta of West Ham United was also heavily linked to a high-profile transfer, although those ideas have since been put off due to an investigation into the Brazilian’s suspected betting violations.