Manchester City has completed the signing of French defender Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao on a deal until 2023.
Bilbao confirmed on Monday that Laporte's €65 million release clause had been triggered and the 23-year-old issued a farewell message to the Basque club.
City then confirmed the deal at Tuesday lunch time. The move is a club record, eclipsing the £55 million fee City paid Wolfsburg for Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne in 2015 and takes Guardiola’s outlay in fewer than two seasons in Manchester to £450 million, more than half of which has been spent on defenders.
Laporte’s arrival follows the signings of England centre-half John Stones, a £47.5 million recruit from Everton, and full-backs Benjamin Mendy (a £52 million arrival from Monaco), Kyle Walker (a £50 million purchase from Tottenham), and Danilo, who joined from Real Madrid in a £26.5 million deal.
Source: The Telegraph