Manchester City have most expensive defence in football history after £49.4m Benjamin Mendy transfer

Manchester City have the most expensive defence in football history with Benjamin Mendy completing a £49.4million move to the Etihad Stadium on Monday to leave the club with four of the five most costly defenders ever bought.

The France left back's arrival from Monaco takes City's summer spending to a staggering £217million with more business still to do and means Pep Guardiola has spent almost £130million on three full-backs in only 10 days.

Mendy's fee could rise to £52million with add ons and sees him join a defence already boasting Kyle Walker, who joined City from Spurs this month in a deal that could eventually be worth £54million, as well as John Stones, for whom City paid Everton an initial £47.5million rising to £50million last summer.

City also paid £42 million for Eliaquim Mangala in 2014 although they are now trying to offload the France centre half, currently on the club's pre season tour of the US, for a knockdown £18 million. It leaves David Luiz, for whom Paris St-Germain paid Chelsea £50 million for the Brazil defender in 2014, as the only member of the world's most expensive five defenders not to play for City, whose defence also includes Nicolas Otamendi, a £32 million signing from Valencia, and goalkeeper Ederson Moraes, for whom Guardiola paid a British record £34.7 million fee this summer.

City are still in the market for another centre-half, although for all their exorbitant expenditure, the club still remain hugely reliant at the back on captain Vincent Kompany, whom Guardiola is hoping will stay fit after a succession of injury woes.

City made three offers for Mendy before Monaco finally accepted a fourth bid after weeks of protracted negotiations. The 23-year-old, who has signed a five year contract, will wear the No. 22 shirt and is City's only recognised senior left back after the departures of Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov. Right back Danilo, who completed a £25.9 million move to City from Real Madrid on Sunday, can provide cover at left back.

Txiki Begiristain, said: “Benjamin has all the qualities we are looking for in a full-back. For such a young player, he has a wealth of top-level experience. He is undoubtedly one of the world’s best full-backs, our number one target in this position. We are all delighted to have him here at Manchester City. I’m sure he will prove a fantastic addition to the squad.”

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Mendy is confident he will settle in quickly. “I think I am the right person for the group," he said. "I am easily adaptable. There are some players with whom I exchanged a few emails, I knew them from some years ago. Regarding football, I can bring a lot of creativity in the game, I can offer different solutions, I like to take to play as full back and provide assists for the strikers.

“I am very proud of joining Manchester City, this is what I wanted from the very beginning. As soon as the championship was over, I talked to my family and it was all clear in my head, I wanted to join Manchester City. I'm really happy about it.

“I am a leader, someone who always has a smile on his face, I like to share my happiness with my teammates. Whatever happens, I can be there in good or bad times. I like teasing the players but not in a mean way, and that’s it, that is my personality.”

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