Manchester City have signed Spanish midfielder Nico Gonzalez from FC Porto on a four-and-a-half-year contract, the club announced on Tuesday morning.

According to a club source, the 23-year-old joins the Premier League champions for €60 million ($62.06 million).

A product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, Gonzalez made 37 appearances for the Catalan giants before moving to Porto in 2023.

During his time in Portugal, he played 68 matches, registered nine goals and nine assists, and represented Spain at the under-21 level.

City’s Director of Football, Txiki Begiristain, acknowledged the challenges of securing the transfer, given Gonzalez’s impressive performances for Porto this season.

“It was a difficult transfer to complete because his performances have been outstanding, and he has been such an important part of what FC Porto are doing this season,” Begiristain said in a club statement. “We are really happy we have managed to get this done before the window closed.”

Gonzalez is City’s fourth signing of the January transfer window, following the arrivals of centre-backs Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, and Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush.

City, who lost Ballon d’Or winner Rodri to an ACL injury in September, currently sit fifth in the Premier League.

Their title defence took a major blow after a 5-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday, leaving them 15 points behind leaders Liverpool, who also have a game in hand.

Pep Guardiola’s side will look to bounce back when they face League One side Leyton Orient in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.