Manchester City have confirmed the sale of defender Aymeric Laporte to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.
The 29-year-old took to social media on Wednesday evening to announce that he will be ending his five-and-a-half-year association with the Citizens.
Laporte joined Man City for around £57m from Athletic Bilbao in January 2018 and he went on to make a total of 180 appearances for the club across all competitions, winning 13 trophies.
The Spain international departs the Etihad Stadium as a five-time Premier League winner, while he also lifted three EFL Cups, two FA Cups, one Champions League, one Community Shield and one UEFA Super Cup during his time on the blue side of Manchester.
Laporte was considered an integral first-team regular in Pep Guardiola’s side for a number of years, but he fell down the pecking order last season, with Ruben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji all preferred ahead of him in defence.
Indeed, Laporte started just 20 games in all tournaments during City’s historic treble-winning season in 2022-23, starting just 11 Premier League games and watching on as an unused substitute on 22 occasions.
Laporte has now decided to take on a fresh challenge in the ever-growing Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr, who have also confirmed the deal from their end.
The defender has put pen to paper on a three-year contract until 2026 and moves to the Middle East for a reported £25m.
Speaking to Man City’s official website about his time at the club, 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 added: “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.”
Laporte becomes Al-Nassr’s sixth high-profile signing of the summer transfer window after Sadio Mane, Otavio, Marcelo Brozovic, Seko Fofana and Alex Telles.
The defender, who will also link up with five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, could be in contention to make his Al-Nassr debut against Al Shabab next Tuesday, although he is seemingly unlikely to feature in Friday’s clash with Al Fateh.
