Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte has confirmed that he rejected a summer transfer to Manchester City.
The 22-year-old has revealed that he held talks with City manager Pep Guardiola "for a long time", but he could not be convinced to move to the Premier League.
Instead, the centre-back signed a new contract at Athletic, which runs until June 2020.
"How did I say no to Pep? By looking at the pros and cons," Laporte told 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."
Laporte broke into the Athletic senior team in 2012.
Written by
Danielle Joynson
Danielle Joynson
