Manchester City have completed their first piece of business in the January transfer window, by finding on-loan defender Issa Kabore a new club.

Having impressed at Marseille and Luton in recent seasons, hopes were high for right-back Kabore when he headed to Benfica in the summer after he made the bench for two of City's fixtures at the start of the campaign.

However, the Burkina Faso international struggled for games in Portugal and it quickly became apparent that a new loan would be beneficial for all parties. City recalled Kabore at the start of the month as per the terms of his season-long loan and have now sent him back out with Werder Bremen winning the race for his signature.

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On his departure from Benfica, Kabore issued a statement, saying: "I'd like to thank the whole city of Lisbon for welcoming me with open arms. Thank you to Benfica, the fans and my teammates. I was delighted to have been by your side. May God guide you to achieve your goals."

And upon joining Bremen, Kabore said: “I’m really looking forward to my new challenge at Werder and in the Bundesliga. Werder have had a very good season so far. I want to play my part in us building on a strong first half of the campaign, and to get to know the club, the fans and the city."

City did not consider recalling Kabore to offer support to their first team squad, and he is under contract until 2027 at the Etihad.

Werder head coach Ole Werner said: “I’m very happy that we’ve managed to bring in Issa so quickly and at short notice. Issa is a technically good player, is physically strong and also has good pace. His arrival gives us more options for how we want to play. We’re positive that he’ll fit into our team perfectly.”

And their Head of Professional Football Peter Neimeyer added: “Issa is a very exciting player who’s got experience in a number of different leagues in different countries despite his young age. The opportunity has opened up at short notice for us to sign Issa on loan until the end of the season.

"He fits the profile we wanted perfectly, as he’s flexible and can play on both sides. We want to make sure that we have multiple options for every position. We’re very happy that we’ve been able to complete this loan signing in such a short time."