Manchester City have gone and ruined Athletic Club Bilbao’s week.
It was all looking so bright on Monday when the club managed to get Kepa to renew with them and agree to a €80m clause, but now the big story is Aymeric Laporte’s imminent exit to City.
To make it very clear, this isn’t being treated as a rumour in Bilbao, but rather the real deal.
El Correo, a calm and reliable Basque newspaper with close connections to Athletic, reported the deal was agreed on Tuesday evening.
Laporte will sign for six seasons and all that remains is for Manchester City to pay the €65m clause.
The French defender was in training on Wednesday morning because the money hadn’t arrived in Athletic’s account yet.
Once that money is there, and not a moment before, Laporte will be allowed to join Manchester City.
The only way this fails now is if either City or the player have a last minute change of heart.
