Aymeric Laporte has completed his club record move from Athletic Bilbao to Manchester City, the Premier League club has announced.
The 23-year-old defender had been in discussions with City after Bilbao confirmed on Monday that his buy-out clause, believed to be around £57 million ($80m), had been paid.
According to Itv.com, Laporte, a France Under-21 international, has signed a five-year contract to play under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.
Laporte told the club’s website: “I am very happy to be here. City is a club with a lot of ambition and is one of the best teams in Europe. I am looking forward to working under Pep Guardiola and trying to help the club achieve success. It means a lot that the club has shown faith in me and I am excited to get started.”
The fee eclipses the £54million City paid for Kevin De Bruyne in 2015 and also makes him the second-most expensive defender in the world after Liverpool’s £75million signing Virgil van Dijk.
John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi have formed a strong central defensive partnership this season but the area was still identified as a problem position.
Vincent Kompany’s recurring fitness issues and the inconsistency of Eliaquim Mangala led to City, who were also linked with West Brom’s Jonny Evans, seeking reinforcements.
