Manchester City have broken their club transfer record by splashing out £57million on Athletic Bilbao centre back Aymeric Laporte.
Laporte, 23, has put pen to paper on a five-and-a-half year deal to finalise his move to England.
The Premier League leaders triggered his release clause last week which led to Athletic Bilbao pulling Laporte out of their squad to face Eibar on Friday.
Aymeric Laporte, pictured with director of football Txiki Begiristain, is all smiles as he signs his first contract as a Manchester City player on Tuesday
Laporte will wear the No 14 at his new side after penning a five-and-a-half-year deal
Laporte’s girlfriend Sara Botello posted this picture on Instagram as he joined City
Laporte was spotted leaving the Radisson Blu hotel in Manchester city centre
Laporte, who will wear the No 14 shirt, said on his move: ‘I am very happy to be here.
‘City are a club with a lot of ambition and they are one of the best teams in Europe.
‘I am looking forward to working under Pep Guardiola and trying to help the Club to achieve success.
‘It means a lot that the Club have shown faith in me and I am excited to get started.’
Txiki Begiristain, City’s Director of Football, added: ‘We are delighted to have signed Aymeric.
‘We have assessed defensive options and he is a player we have admired for a long time.
‘With his quality and ability to play out from the back, we feel Aymeric will fit in perfectly with Pep Guardiola’s playing style.’
Pep Guardiola was keen on adding another centre back to his ranks and Laporte will now compete with Vincent Kompany, John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi.
The French-born defender’s arrival at the Etihad could see Eliaquim Mangala join Newcastle on loan until the end of the season.
Laporte was accompanied by his partner Sara Botello as he left the Radisson Blu in Manchester on Tuesday while wearing a smart roll neck jumper, jacket and light coloured trousers.
The defender was flanked by hotel staff as he left the building where he has spent the last couple of nights since arriving in England.
He left with Botello, who wore a long grey coat over a leopard-print blouse and leather trousers as she accompanied her partner.
Botello posted a supportive message of Laporte to Instagram on Tuesday, saying how much she was looking forward to the next chapter of their lives.
She wrote: ‘I admire you like nobody and I will always support you. Now we have to take a new path together. Always you, always me. Always us.’
Guardiola will take his spending at City beyond £450million on Tuesday with the arrival of Laporte from Athletic Bilbao, after they met his £57m release clause.
The 23-year-old, uncapped by France, will be second only to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk as the most expensive defender in history. Laporte’s fee eclipses the club record £55m City paid to Wolfsburg for Kevin De Bruyne in 2015.
Laporte becomes City’s club record signing and the second most expensive defender ever
Pep Guardiola will sign Laporte to compete with John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi
Laporte was accompanied by his partner Sara as they travelled to the Etihad Stadium
Botello posted a supportive message for her partner to Instagram ahead of his big transfer
Guardiola — who has now splurged £190m on defenders alone in the last two transfer windows — identified Laporte back in 2016 as a potential signing.
Laporte issued a statement, saying: ‘I want to thank the Athletic family for everything you have given me.
‘I arrived as a teenager and here I grew up as a person and as a footballer. My farewell, ahead of a new challenge in my professional career. I don’t want it to be a goodbye, but a see you soon. Here I leave a unique club, different and I will never forget you.’