Aymeric Laporte has rejected Manchester City to stay with Athletic Bilbao and become the highest-paid player in the club’s history.
Athletic on Monday evening confirmed a contract renewal for the 22-year-old, who it was believed was close to joining Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.
Instead, Laporte’s contract has been renewed until 2020 with a clause of €65m until 2018, with the stipulation then rising to €70m for the duration of the deal.
AS adds City were prepared to pay Laporte €8m-a-year, with Marca saying he will earn €4.5m in wages by staying at San Mames.
“I’ve thought about it a lot to choose the right option for me and I’ve come to the conclusion that Athletic is the best. I’ve signed for four years and I’m very happy and excited to be able to continue at this club and to help my teammates,” Laporte said.
The British Press, meanwhile, is claiming City aren’t overly disappointed by Laporte’s decision – the Telegraph saying they are ‘relaxed’ over the news – and were unwilling to meet Laporte’s old clause of €50m, while Guardiola was planning on using the centre-back on the left of the defence.
