Athletic Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte confirms he rejected move to Manchester City

Luiz Suarez and Aymeric Laporte in action during the Copa del Rey game between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao on January 27, 2016
© AFP
Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte confirmed that he rejected a move to Manchester City in the summer.

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.

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4Liverpool75111810816
5Everton7421115614
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18West Ham UnitedWest Ham7115817-94
19Stoke CityStoke7034516-113
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