Manchester City football club announced the signing of Abdukodir Khusanov (Uzbekistan) from Lens on a four-and-a-half-year deal.
The transfer fee is expected to make up €40 million plus bonuses. The 20-year-old player is set to sign a contract with the English champions until the summer of 2029.
Khusanov joined French side Lens from Belarusian Club Energetik-BGU in the summer of 2023 and has established himself as one of the most exciting young defenders in Ligue 1.
Only 20 years old, the centre-back already has 18 appearances for Uzbekistan and helped the country make a strong start in the challenge to qualify for a first World Cup, in 2026.
Khusanov said he was thrilled at the opportunity to become the first Uzbekistan’s international to play in the Premier League.
“I'm absolutely delighted to be joining Manchester City, a club that I have enjoyed watching for a long time. This squad is full of the best players in the world, and I can’t wait to meet them and play alongside them. And of course Pep Guardiola is one of the greatest coaches ever and I am so excited to learn from him and improve my game even more.This is a very proud moment for me and my family to be joining a great Club like Manchester City and I’m more than ready for this challenge,” “he said.
The defender of the Uzbekistan national team was identified as the primary target to strengthen the defense of Pep Guardiola’s team, and the club began working on his transfer at the end of 2024.
Director of football at Manchester City Txiki Begiristain spoke out about Khusanov’s potential:
“We are very happy that he has joined us, and we are all very excited about what he will bring. For such a young defender, Abdukodir is already very intelligent, as well as being strong, aggressive and extremely quick. Working with Pep will only make him better and, speaking to him, he is determined to keep improving. He is a really exciting signing as we aim to keep progressing to maintain one of the best squads in Europe."Everyone at Manchester City is delighted to welcome Abdukodir to the Club!” he stated.
Abdukodir Khusanov will play under number 45.
