Manchester City have signed Aymeric Laporte of Athletic Bilbao for £57.2 million ($80.8 million). The transfer fee becomes a new record for City, eclipsing their £55 million transfer in 2015 with Wolfsburg for Kevin de Bruyne.

Laporte has long been a target for Pep Guardiola.

“I am very happy to be here,” said Laporte. “City are a club with a lot of ambition and they are one of the best teams in Europe. I am looking forward to working under Pep Guardiola and trying to help the club to achieve success. It means a lot that the club have shown faith in me and I am excited to get started.”

“We have assessed defensive options and he is a player we have admired for a long time,” said Txiki Begiristain, City’s director of football. “With his quality and ability to play out from the back, we feel Aymeric will fit in perfectly with Pep Guardiola’s playing style.”

“He’s played since a young age in La Liga so at a high level," said Guardiola. "He’s strong in the air and fast. He’s got good quality and we are delighted.”