Premier League league leaders Manchester City have signed Aymeric Laporte for a record £57m from Athletic Bilbao after he passed a medical.
Laporte who arrived England with his girlfriend was unveiled shortly after his medical and will wear the number 14 shirt.
City manager Pep Guardiola was keen to bring in a new centre-half this month.
The club’s current transfer record is the £55m paid for midfielder Kevin de Bruyne in 2015.
It would take the club’s spending on defenders since the end of last season to £190m.
Looking ???? in ????, @Laporte! pic.twitter.com/sSane5qhlI
— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 30, 2018
Laporte, 23, has played 19 times for France at Under-21 level but is yet to win a full cap.
The unreliability of skipper Vincent Kompany because of injury and Guardiola’s uncertainty over the ability of Eliaquim Mangala had led him to believe an extra central defensive option was required in addition to current first choices John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi.
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Born in Agen, France, Laporte started playing football and rugby at the age of five, and began his development at SU Agen Football.
In 2009 he was invited to join Athletic Bilbao after being scouted, prompting debate over whether his signing met the criteria of their policy due to his tenuous links to the Basque region; by arrangement with the club, he spent a season with Aviron Bayonnais FC as he was too young to move outside France at the time.
Laporte arrived in Bilbao formally in 2010, joining Athletic’s youth setup at Lezama and going on to play for its farm and reserve teams.
On 28 November 2012 he made his debut with the main squad, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 away win against Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona F.C. for the season’s UEFA Europa League.
Laporte made his first La Liga appearance on 9 December 2012, appearing one minute in a 1–0 home win over Celta de Vigo.
The following week he was inserted in the starting XI by manager Marcelo Bielsa, helping the Lions to the same result at RCD Mallorca,
and was definitely promoted to the first-team shortly after, signing a new contract until 2015; on 14 January 2013, he was given the number 4 jersey previously worn by Ustaritz, and late in the month he renewed his contract, running until 2016 and with a €27.5 million release clause.
