Man City sign Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao for club-record fee
Manchester City have completed a club record deal for Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte.
The 23-year-old has signed a contract until 2023 after the Premier League leaders paid his €65 million release clause in full.
It makes him City’s most expensive signing in pound sterling, although the price in Euros is less than the €76m (£55m) paid to Wolfsburg for Kevin De Bruyne in 2015.
Laporte will be able to make his debut in the Premier League clash with Burnley on Saturday and is also eligible to be included in City’s Champions League squad.
“I am very happy to be here,” Laporte told City’s official website. “City are a club with a lot of ambition and they are one of the best teams in Europe.
“I am looking forward to working under Pep Guardiola and trying to help the club to achieve success.
“It means a lot that the club have shown faith in me and I am excited to get started.”
Speaking at a news conference shortly after the signing was announced City manager Pep Guardiola said Laporte is ready to make an instant impact.
“He is able to start right away,” Guardiola said. “The Premier League is special in many senses but he is intelligent. It’s always tough for a new player but we will be patient.
“He’s played since a young age in La Liga so at a high level. He’s strong in the air and fast. He’s got good quality and we are delighted.”
City director of football Txiki Begiristain added: “We are delighted to have signed Aymeric. We have assessed defensive options and he is a player we have admired for a long time.
“With his quality and ability to play out from the back, we feel Aymeric will fit in perfectly with Pep Guardiola’s playing style.”
The centre-back had been close to joining City in the summer of 2016 only to pull out of a deal at the last minute and sign a new contract with the Basque club, which ran until June 2020.
City will also have to pay a further €5m for development rights because Laporte is a youth product of Athletic.
