It’s happening, everyone. Manchester City have officially signed center-back Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao on a five-and-a-half year deal.
Defensive reinforcements acquired!
— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 30, 2018
Please #welcomeaymeric to the Club! pic.twitter.com/cDu4FWOKlb
Laporte has been linked with the Blues since Pep Guardiola took charge two summers ago, and a deal was nearly done back in 2016 before the Frenchman had a change of heart. But City went back for the 23-year-old last week and acted very quickly, striking a deal with the player and paying his £57 million release clause in a span of just three days.
The French international is one of the best young defenders in Europe and will be part of City’s future alongside John Stones. He can also learn from Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi for the next few years, and he’ll surely develop into a monster under Guardiola.
This is one of the best signings City have made in recent years, and Laporte will be one of our best players for a very long time. Welcome, Aymeric!