Wilfried Bony move to Man City the 'right deal' for Swansea - Monk

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Wilfried Bony scored nine goals while playing for Garry Monk's Swansea side this seasonImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Wilfried Bony scored nine goals while playing for Garry Monk's Swansea side this season

Swansea manager Garry Monk says Wilfried Bony's move to Man City, which is worth up to £28m, was the "right deal" for Swansea.

The fee for Bony, 26, is almost double Swansea's previous record sale of Joe Allen to Liverpool in August 2012.

Bony, the Premier League's top scorer in 2014 with 20 goals, joined Swansea for a club-record £12m from Vitesse Arnhem in 2013.

"This decision was best for the player and best for the club," said Monk.

"You have to take a lot of things into consideration when these opportunities come up for players and from a club perspective.

"We always do the best for the club and we felt this was the right deal for us.

"Of course we're disappointed to lose such a good player. But to produce a £28m player at this club . . . I feel quite proud about it."

The deal - £25m cash up front and a further £3m in performance-related add-ons - makes Bony, who has scored 11 goals in 32 games for the Ivory Coast, one of the most expensive African footballers in history.

Media caption,

Wilfried Bony: Top Premier League goals from Man City's new signing

Monk, who previously said it would take an "astronomical" fee to buy Bony, expects him to be successful at the Etihad Stadium, where he is set to stay until 2019.

"Going to a club like Manchester City, with the world-class players he'll be playing with week-in, week-out, the chances that they create throughout games, I think he'll do fantastically well," said Monk.

"Hopefully he goes there and produces the kind of football that he helped produce here and I'm sure he'll do that."

Monk says he has no plans to sign a replacement for Bony, with strikers Bafetimbi Gomis and Nelson Oliveira already at Liberty Stadium.

Instead, the 35-year-old says Swansea will use the money to help improve the club's facilities.

"We'll use it wisely, we always have done," said Monk, adding: "There's infrastructure to improve, plenty of things off the field that we need to improve . . . stadium expansion, training ground, facilities like that which cost a lot of money.

"It's something the club will put in place to make sure the future of the club is solid.

"Of course we need to sign players, we need to add quality to the squad, which is important, but it won't be the money that people are trying to tout at this moment."

Meanwhile, Monk says there have been no bids for Gomis and is sure the Frenchman, 29, will stay despite speculation over his future.

"His commitment is there for myself to see, and for his team-mates to see. My focus is on Bafe now for the rest of the season . . . and to help produce his best football," said Monk.

"[Bafe's] a top-quality striker in his own right and he's proven that throughout his whole career. I think he'll show in the coming games the quality that he has."

You can watch an interview with Garry Monk on Sport Wales this Friday, BBC Two Wales at 20:00 GMT, and on iPlayer for seven days after transmission.

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