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Manchester United signs Diogo Dalot from Porto for reported £19M

REUTERS/Andrew Yates / Action Images

Manchester United officially completed the signing of Portuguese full-back Diogo Dalot, announcing Wednesday it has landed the 19-year-old from Porto on a five-year deal.

United first triggered Dalot's £17.4-million release fee last week, though the BBC's Simon Stone reports the club paid slightly more to finalise the deal, with the transfer costing £19 million.

Dalot is the Red Devils' second acquisition in as many days after it announced on Tuesday a fee agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk for Brazilian midfielder Fred.

United manager Jose Mourinho praised his club's newest signing; Dalot is an academy product of the club the Portuguese manager first rose to prominence with in 2002-04.

"Diogo is an extremely talented young defender with all the qualities to quickly become a great player for this club," Mourinho said in a statement. "He has all the attributes that a full-back needs: physicality, tactical intelligence and technical quality, combined with a Porto Academy mentality which prepares players for the maturity they need at the professional level.

"In his age group, he is the best full-back in Europe and we all believe he has a bright future ahead of him at Manchester United."

Dalot has represented Portugal at nearly every youth level, and made his senior debut with Porto in October 2017 in the Taca de Portugal, playing all 90 minutes during a 6-0 victory over lower-tier side Lusitano de Evora. Able to play both full-back positions or in more advanced positions on the wings, Dalot contributed with three assists over eight senior appearances for Porto this past season.

"Joining Manchester United is an unbelievable opportunity for me," Dalot said about the move. "I have grown up in Porto's Academy and I am so thankful for everything they have done for me.

"But the chance of coming to the biggest club in the world is something I just couldn't turn down."

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