Laporte: Why I turned down Manchester City move

Joe Williams

Aymeric Laporte has revealed the reasons behind his decision to snub Manchester City and remain at Athletic Bilbao.

Laporte signed a new deal with Bilbao in June and has now been called up to the France squad for the first for the World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and the Netherlands.

The Frenchman, who has played nine times for Bilbao this season, admits he had talks with new City boss Pep Guardiola over the summer but says he has no regrets over choosing to remain with the La Liga side.

“How did I say no to Pep? By looking at the pros and cons,” he said, speaking to French radio station RTL.

“I spoke with him for a long time, as well as with my club. I also looked at my family, my entourage.

“It wasn’t too early. It was just pros and cons – amount of time on the pitch, me recovering from injury.

“These aren’t easy things to think about at my age. In the end, I had to make a choice. I did, and I’m happy.”