Spain international defender Aymeric Laporte has completed a move to Al Nassr from Manchester City after signing a three-year contract with the Saudi Pro League club.
Laporte sealed the switch after a reported £23.5 million ($30m) transfer fee was agreed between Nassr and City, and the 29-year-old centre-back becomes the latest in a long line of established stars to move to Saudi Arabia this summer.
Laporte is the sixth major signing made by Nassr, following former Liverpool and Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane, midfielder Seko Fofana from Lens, full-back Alex Telles from Manchester United, and midfielder Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan. Portuguese winger Otavio joined the club earlier this week.
He will also play alongside Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved to the Riyadh giants in December last year and has since been made club captain.
Among the many deals involving big-name players to move to Saudi this summer, Brazilian star Neymar has joined Al Hilal in a transfer record €90m deal, Ballon d'Or holder Karim Benzema leads Al Ittihad's attack, and Algerian forward Riyad Mahrez has moved to Al Ahli.
Laporte left City after five-and-a-half years at the club, during which he won five Premier League titles, three League Cups, two FA Cups, and the Uefa Champions League as part of last season's treble-winning season.
The France-born defender immediately established himself as a key player for Pep Guardiola but a long-term knee injury during the 2019/20 season saw him fall down the defensive pecking order. He reclaimed his starting place in the 2021/22 campaign but was again reduced to a squad player last season.
The arrival of Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol, another left-footed central defender, this summer from RB Leipzig was set to further limited Laporte's opportunities.
Laporte told City’s official website: “I am proud to have represented Manchester City over the last six seasons. When I first joined, I was excited about the prospect of winning trophies. However, I could not have imagined the success we would go on to achieve together.
“I would like to thank the coaches, my team-mates and of course the brilliant City fans for all of their support throughout my time in Manchester. I will always be a City fan and I look forward to seeing you all again.”
City's director of football Txiki Begiristain added: “Aymeric has been an excellent player for Manchester City during a great time for the club.
“He fitted into the team seamlessly upon arrival in 2018 and played a key role in many of our successes over the years that have followed.
“The form of the other defenders in the squad made it hard for him to find sufficient game time in 2022-23 and we respect his decision to seek a move elsewhere."
Laporte, who has made 22 appearances for the Spain national team having represented France at youth level, will help to shore up a Nassr defence which has conceded four goals in their opening two Saudi Pro League games, with both ending in defeat.
The signing of Laporte will also further boost Nassr's chances in the Asian Champions League after the Riyadh club booked their place in the group stage with a tense 4-2 win over UAE champions Shabab Al Ahli. Nassr trailed 2-1 with seven minutes remaining before a late blitz earned an ultimately deserved victory.
