Aymeric Laporte joins Al-Nassr for £23.5m

Spanish defender seals lucrative move to Saudi league after five years at City

Aymeric Laporte has joined Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr for a fee of £23.5m, it was announced on Thursday.

The Spanish international joined City from Athletic Bilbao in 2018, and went on to make 180 appearances for the club.

However, with the Blues adding Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and Josko Gvardiol to the squad in recent years, Laporte's opportunities became limited. A departure this summer seemed inevitable, and the centre-half has opted for a lucarative move to the Saudi league.

Laporte said: “I am proud to have represented Manchester City over the last six seasons.?

“When I first joined, I was excited about the prospect of winning trophies. However, I could not have imagined the success we would go on to achieve together.?

“I would like to thank the coaches, my team-mates and of course the brilliant City fans for all of their support throughout my time in Manchester.?

“I will always be a City fan and I look forward to seeing you all again.”

Director of Football Txiki Begiristain praised Laporte, saying: “Aymeric has been an excellent player for Manchester City during a great time for the Club.?

“He fit into the team seamlessly upon arrival in 2018 and played a key role in many of our successes over the years that have followed.?

“The form of the other defenders in the squad made it hard for him to find sufficient game time in 2022/23 and we respect his decision to seek a move elsewhere.?

“I look forward to following his career from afar.”