Manchester City sign Uzbekistan defender Abdukodir Khusanov

Manchester City have completed the signing of Uzbekistan international defender Abdukodir Khusanov from French side Lens for a fee of €48m.

The 19-year-old has signed a five-and-a-half-year contract with the Premier League club and will wear the number 26 shirt.

Khusanov, who has been capped 18 times by his country, has been one of the most highly-rated young defenders in Europe in recent seasons.

He made his professional debut for Energetik-BGU Minsk in 2022 and joined Lens on a three-year deal in the summer of 2023.

The centre-back made 20 appearances for Lens in all competitions last season, helping the club to finish fourth in Ligue 1 and reach the semi-finals of the Coupe de France.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said: "We are delighted to welcome Abdukodir to Manchester City. He is a very talented young player with a lot of potential.

"He has already shown his quality at Lens and we believe he has the ability to develop into a top-class centre-back at Manchester City.

"We are looking forward to working with him and helping him to achieve his goals."