Man City confirm Laporte signing

London : Manchester City have confirmed the signature of defender Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao for a club-record fee.

The 23-year-old centre-back has signed a five-and-a-half-year contract at the Etihad, and will wear the number 14 shirt.

The Frenchman had a release clause worth 65 million euros (£57.1m), which means City have broken their transfer record – previously £55m for Kevin De Bruyne from Wolfsburg in
2015.

Laporte, who comes in to bolster Pep Guardiola’s defensive options as City chase an unprecedented quadruple, told mancity.com he is delighted to have joined one of Europe’s best
teams.

“I am very happy to be here,” Laporte said. “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.”