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.
Add new comment
Read our comment policy before posting your viewpoints