German giants Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Manchester City defender Yan Couto on loan with an obligation to buy for a reported €30m (£25.6m).
The 22-year-old - whose move to the Signal Iduna Park will become permanent next summer if certain criteria are met - leaves the Etihad without making a single senior appearance for Pep Guardiola's side.
Man City forked out €6m (£5.1m) to bring Couto to the club from Coritiba in 2020, since when he has been loaned out to Portuguese outfit Braga and Spanish upstarts Girona on two occasions.
Last season, the right-back was a cornerstone of the Girona side that earned a shock third-placed La Liga finish and subsequent Champions League qualification, scoring two goals and providing 10 assists in 39 matches.
However, with Kyle Walker and Rico Lewis in the right-back ranks at the Etihad, Couto will now advance his career in Germany with Dortmund, and he revealed his "fascination" with club's famous Yellow Wall in his first interview.
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Couto: 'Dortmund move is a dream come true'
"For me it's a dream come true. Borussia Dortmund is a special club. Every child in Brazil knows how great this club is, knows the fans, and is fascinated by the Yellow Wall," Couto told the BVB website. "I can't wait to wear the BVB shirt for the first time and experience the power and emotions in this brilliant stadium."
Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl waxed lyrical about Couto's technical qualities, adding: "Yan Couto is a very exciting player. He gets up and down the wing, and he combines exceptional energy with intensity, technical finesse and dribbling skills.
"Yan is versatile, he loves 1-v-1s, he can hit accurate crosses and he's very attack-minded. His development in Spain was remarkable, and yet he has lots of potential to go even further, which makes him exactly what we wanted for this position. We're delighted that we were able to convince him to be part of our journey."
Finally, Dortmund's managing director Lars Ricken revealed that the German titans had their eye on Couto even before the Brazilian joined the Premier League champions, as he shone during Brazil's Under-17 World Cup success in 2019.
"Yan Couto was on our radar even before he won the U17 World Cup with Brazil in 2019. He has the potential to be a very special player, with outstanding pace, technique and creativity – he's the kind of player fans come to watch," Ricken said.
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"He's very young with a lot still to learn, but we're confident that he can follow in the footsteps of special Brazilian players like Julio Cesar, Dede and Marcio Amoroso at Dortmund."
Couto becomes City's fifth summer sale
As Couto's move to Dortmund is widely expected to become permanent in the summer of 2025, the 22-year-old is now the fifth player set to leave City for good this year, and the third defender to do so.
Fellow full-back Sergio Gomez was sold to Real Sociedad, while Taylor Harwood-Bellis has joined newly-promoted Southampton permanently following a successful loan move.
In addition, the Citizens have allowed Tommy Doyle to complete a permanent switch to Wolverhampton Wanderers, as well as selling Liam Delap to Premier League new boys Ipswich Town.
City conclude their pre-season USA tour against Chelsea on Saturday, and Guardiola has delivered an injury update on Erling Haaland ahead of the clash with the Blues.
Ben Knapton
