Laporte joins Ronaldo and Mane at Al-Nassr after leaving Man City

Posted Friday, August 25, 2023 by thescore.com

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Spain center back Aymeric Laporte is heading to Saudi Arabia to play with Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane after losing his place in Manchester City's expensively assembled defense.

The 29-year-old Laporte is joining Al Nassr, City said on Thursday, for a reported fee of £23.5 million ($30 million).

He has dropped down the list of center backs at City, with new signing Josko Gvardiol and Nathan Ake ahead of him as left-sided defenders in the English Premier League champions' new three-at-the-back formation.

Along with Ronaldo and Mane, Al Nassr has also Alex Telles and Marcelo Brozovic as overseas players in its squad.

Al Nassr is one of four storied Saudi clubs effectively nationalized by the sovereign wealth Public Investment Fund, which claims assets of about $700 billion and is funding the kingdom's heavy spending on soccer.

Laporte revealed in a social media video he posted on Wednesday that he would be leaving City five-and-a-half years after joining from Athletic Bilbao in Spain. He won 13 major titles at City.

"When I first joined, I was excited about the prospect of winning trophies," Laporte said. "However, I could not have imagined the success we would go on to achieve together."