Aymeric Laporte confirms Manchester City departure ahead of Al-Nassr move to link up with Cristiano Ronaldo

Aymeric Laporte has penned a heartfelt message to Manchester City supporters ahead of his move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.

Laporte’s five-and-a-half-year spell at City is set to come to an end after the Saudi Pro League side reportedly agreed to pay around £25m for the centre-back.

The Spain international has signed a three-year contract worth a reported £20m per season, and will now play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

Having reportedly passed his Al-Nassr medical in Dubai, an official announcement regarding Laporte’s transfer appears imminent.

The 29-year-old said on social media ahead of the move: “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 Manchester City board, the coaches and the whole staff, every single team-mate I shared the dressing room with, and of course all of you.

“It was an honour and a pleasure to wear these colours, 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.”

City signed Laporte from Spanish side Athletic Club in January 2018 for a then club-record fee of £57m.

The centre-back went on to win five Premier League titles with City, lifted the FA Cup twice and got his hands on four League Cup winners’ medals.

Although Laporte fell out of favour under Pep Guardiola last season, he was part of the squad that won the club their first-ever Champions League to complete a historic treble.

Guardiola once described Laporte as “the best left-sided centre-back for build-up play in the world", but the resurgence of John Stones and Nathan Ake - along with the signing of Manuel Akanji - pushed Laporte down the defensive pecking order last season.

City’s £77.5m signing of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig this summer means Guardiola will once again have five central defenders at his disposal this season.

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