Manchester City and French Ligue 1 side, Rennes, have reached an agreement for prolific winger Jeremy Doku.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City have agreed a transfer fee worth €65m for Doku. Personal terms has also been agreed with the player with his medical expected this week before signing of contract.
Jeremy Doku, 21, who plays as a winger for Rennes, will be Manchester City’s second big addition to the squad this summer after Josko Gvardiol.
West Ham were linked to a move for Doku. They reportedly tabled an official bid for the player but were turned down by Rennes.
Doku wanted the Manchester City move and has sealed personal terms with the club. He has two years remaining on his Rennes’ contract and has made 74 appearances for the club, scoring 9 goals.
City eyed the exciting young talent as a replacement for Riyad Mahrez, who has left the club for Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia after falling off the club’s pecking order. According to reports, Doku has agreed a five-year contract with Manchester City till 2028.
Who is Jeremy Doku?
Jeremy Doku is a young Belgian professional footballer, who plays as a winger for French Ligue 1 side Rennes and Belgium national team. Born on 27 May 2002 in Antwerp, Belgium, Doku started his career with KVC Olympic Deurne in 2007. He has played for different youth teams in Belgium before making his first senior club appearance.
After his stint with Deurne, Doku played for Tubantia Borgerhout youth from 2007 to 2009 before joining Beerschot youth from 2009 to 2012.
His last club, where he wrapped up his youth career before his break-in into senior team, was Anderlecht. He played for Anderlecht youth for six years from 2012 to 2018 before being called for a senior professional debut for the club in 2018.
After making his debut for the Belgian giants, Doku went ahead to win 34 caps with the club, scoring 5 goals in his two-year stint from 2018 to 2020.
In 2020, Jeremy Doku signed for French Ligue 1 side, Rennes, for €26m becoming the club’s most expensive signing in history.
He had a brilliant start to his career with the Ligue 1 giants, scoring on his Ligue 1 debut but it was also a nightmare debut as he bagged a red card for a rash challenge.
Doku emerged from the nightmare debut to continue on a prolific debut season for Rennes. He became the only player in the top five Leagues in Europe under the age of 23 to complete most dribbles (110) in a single campaign.
Doku’s second season with Rennes was mired with injury. He could only manage 14 French Ligue 1 appearances for the club throughout the campaign, scoring one goal. In 2022/23 season, he was back in full swing. After being previously used sparingly off the bench after his recovery from injury, he returned to his starting berth and made 29 appearances with 6 goals and 2 assists for the club.
Jeremy Doku style of play
Jeremy Doku will be a perfect fit for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City pattern. He plays comfortably on the left and right wings and is known for his creativity, technical abilities, and playmaking skills. He is also known for his pace and speed with the ball. Naturally, Jeremy Doku is a right-footer but has a strong left foot and can use both legs.
