One of the big spenders in the Saudi Pro League, Al-Nassr, will be boosted with the services of 29-year-old Spanish centre-back Aymeric Laporte at the defensive end in the 2023/2024 Season, after the France-born player has decided to leave three-time defending English Premier League champion and last season’s intercontinental treble-winning team Manchester City and join the oil-rich region this summer. The transfer fee involved in the Aymeric Laporte deal is said to have costed Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr side £25 million and the Spaniard will be penning a three-year deal with the Saudi club until the summer of 2026.
Aymeric Laporte Left Emotional Farewell Message for Manchester City Fans
Aymeric Laporte, who joined Manchester City from Spanish La Liga outfit Athletic Bilbao back in the winter transfer window of the 2017/2018 Season, has made 180 appearances in all competitions over seven seasons with the club, winning team honours such as the UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and FA Community Shield. In relation to his outgoing transfer to join Al-Nassr at the Saudi Pro League, the 29-year-old Aymeric Laporte has shared an emotional exit message for Manchester City fans (Also known as Cityzens) via his official social media account. The statement reads:
“Dear Cityzens, today I wanted to share a story with you… It has lasted for five and a half unforgettable years. Plenty of memories that I will keep forever close to my heart. It’s always easy to think of the good ones: the trophies, the wins, the goals, the tackles and the big fights in the Premier League. But I will also remember the bad ones: the injuries and being sidelined, the defeats and the mistakes I may have made.
“From trophies to setbacks, victories to injuries, it’s all been part of my journey, and I’m grateful for absolutely every moment that shaped me into who I am today. I want to thank everyone who made this journey possible: the @mancity board, the coaches and the whole staff, every single teammate I shared the dressing room with, and of course all of you. It was an honor and a pleasure to wear these colors, and I hope you will remember me in a good way for this. Thank you again for everything. I wish you the best of luck for the future and I will always keep an eye on you guys. Until we meet again. Aymeric.”
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Aymeric Laporte Joins Ronaldo, Fofona, Mané, Konan, Telles, Otávio, Brozović and Talisca at Al-Nassr
The 2022/2023 UEFA Nations League winner Aymeric Laporte will be leaving Manchester City and joining several former European club football players at the Saudi region this 2023/2024 Season, namely Ronaldo, Seko Fofona, Sadio Mané, Ghislain Konan, Alex Telles, Otávio, Marcelo Brozović and Anderson Talisca, making the team arguably the most stacked one in the Saudi Pro League. The team who finishes second place last season will be determined to recapture the league title this time around with another addition in Aymeric Laporte, but things will not be easy as they are now ranked 15th after two league games into the season.
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Bernardo Silva Penned New Manchester City Contract
Cityzens are likely to be despaired with Aymeric Laporte’s exit after a six-year spell with the club, but they will be delighted to know that 21-year-old Croatian defender Joško Gvardiol is more than capable of replacing the Spaniard at the Manchester City backline and that Ronaldo’s Portugal national teammate Bernardo Silva is staying with the club, following a contract extension being signed earlier this week.
Despite being heavily linked to several clubs in Europe namely Spanish powerhouse Barcelona and French Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain as well as clubs in the Saudi Pro League, the 29-year-old has decided to extend his professional career with Manchester City, whom he signed for back in the 2017/2018 Season. Silva has of course made 308 appearances for the Blue Side of Manchester over seven seasons and is now motivated to win more trophies with the club.
When asked about the contract extension, the Portuguese midfield star said: “It has been a dream in terms of what we have achieved, the prospects of what we can still do. In six years, we have won five Premier Leagues, one Champions League and all of the cups. I couldn’t have it much better to be honest. What we achieved last season is something unique and we are going to try and grab that opportunity again this season. We heard that four in a row was never done in the Premier League before, so we want to try that because it is so tough.”
