Abdukodir Khusanov: Man City sign Uzbekistan international defender from Lens

Manchester City have signed defender Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens for £33.5m.

The centre-back has joined the Premier League champions on a four-and-a-half-year contract which also contains the option of a further year until June 2030.

The move helps City secure well-needed defensive reinforcement after contending with several injury problems this term, which included setbacks for centre-backs John Stones and Ruben Dias.

Khusanov becomes the first Uzbekistan player to sign for a Premier League club, having been capped 18 times.

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Lens reportedly only paid £84,000 for Khusanov from Belarusian club Energetik-BGU 18 months ago.

Khusanov has played 16 times for Lens this season under boss Will Still and scored his first goal for the club against Paris Saint-Germain.

"I'm absolutely delighted to be joining Manchester City, a club that I have enjoyed watching for a long time," the defender told the Manchester City website.

"Pep Guardiola is one of the greatest coaches ever and I am so excited to learn from him and improve my game even more."

Khusanov will become the first player from Uzbekistan to appear in the Premier League.

The defender's debut will take the number of nations represented in the competition, since its rebranding in 1992, to 126 and Uzbekistan will be the 19th with just a single player.

Luiz also a target for Man City return

With Khusanov through the door, now Douglas Luiz is among the names on Manchester City's list of midfield targets.

The club are exploring options in the market for a new No 6 and he is one of a number they are looking into. Luiz was under contract at the Etihad from 2017 to 2019 but spent that time on loan at Spanish side Girona.

Interest could intensify if Juventus are willing to agree to a straight six-month loan, with no clauses for a permanent transfer.

City are not assured to make an addition in this position in this window but it is a possibility if the deal is right for them.

Sky Sports News has already reported they will not pursue Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi, who is closing in on a move to Arsenal in the summer, nor Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes.

Luiz is expected to leave Juventus in some capacity this month and the former Aston Villa star wants to move back to the Premier League.

He only made the move to Juve last summer.

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