• Premier League

City complete signing of Sagna from Arsenal

ESPN staff
June 13, 2014
City complete Sagna deal

Manchester City have signed Bacary Sagna on a free transfer from Arsenal on a three-year contract.

The former Arsenal defender, who arrives on a free transfer, has become the Premier League champions' first summer signing.

City fought off competition from Inter Milan and Napoli to secure the signature of the 31-year-old, who is currently in France's World Cup squad.

Sagna was offered a two-year extension to his deal at Arsenal but rejected it in favour of a longer and more lucrative deal with City.

He becomes the fifth player to move directly from the Emirates to the Etihad Stadium in recent seasons, following Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri, and will provide competition for first-choice right-back Pablo Zabaleta.

The former Auxerre defender can also play as a centre-back and left-back but his signing is likely to mean City sell their longest-serving player, right-back Micah Richards.

Sagna, who scored five goals in 284 games during his seven seasons at Arsenal, could make his City debut against his former club in August's Community Shield.

Sagna claims that Arsenal and manager Arsene Wenger transformed him from a boy into a man as he thanked the club for the memories.

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