Aymeric Laporte completes his move to Manchester City

Player: Aymeric Laporte

Age: 23 years

Position: Centre Back

Nationality: France

To: Manchester City

From: Atletic Bilbao

Transfer Fee: £57 Million

Premier League leaders Manchester City have broken their transfer record for a 3rd time this season with the signing of defender Aymeric Laporte from Atletic Bilbao for £57 Million.

The French defender has signed a long-term contract until 2023 and has taken the No.14 shirt, becoming the most expensive signing in the club's history.

After spending his senior career with Bilbao, Laporte is now regarded among the most promising young defenders in Europe. A move to City would perhaps be the right move in his career to take his game to the next level.

Laporte is a left-footed player whose main attribute is his calmness on the pitch with or without the ball and is also known for his passing ability from the back.

Career Statistics

Atletic Bilbao

Club Appearances: 222

Goals: 10

Assists: 6

For a player who's still just 23, Laporte has already made over 200 appearances for Bilbao and has scored 10 times.

In the 2013/14 season, his impressive display in La Liga saw him being named in the Team of the Year which is an impressive feat.

At the start of the 2015/16 season, he helped his side beat giants FC Barcelona in the Supercopa helping Bilbao win their first piece of silverware for 31 years.

City's 5-man defense

With Laporte's arrival, Man City manager Pep Guardiola has spent more than £240 Million on his defensive unit alone.

Although City may have the most expensive defensive unit in the world, it shows how much improvement Guardiola has brought to his side.

Before Guardiola took over, City's defensive unit in the 2015/16 season had a combined average age of 29 years and this season around its 26 years.

This shows a progress towards youth and longevity that City is showing and Guardiola will be able to mold his defenders into Europe's finest.

Laporte will find it difficult to instantly get into City's starting XI every week and keep out the likes of Nicolas Otamendi and captain Vincent Kompany.

But a move to the PL would have certainly increased his chances; 

• To make it into the France National Squad for the upcoming World Cup. 
• To help him get a taste of Champions League football.
• He also has a chance to win all four major honors for his team this season.