Aymeric Laporte, the Manchester City defender, is all set to join the Saudi Pro League, and fans can't believe the transfer fee. The Middle East has been a hotbed for high-profile signings this summer, and Laporte's the latest name in the mix.
Laporte's joining Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr, flying to the country on Monday to seal the deal. This team's been on a signing spree, grabbing big names like Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, Seko Fofana, and Alex Telles.
Laporte's move is raising eyebrows, though. Despite his Premier League success with Man City, he's heading to Al Nassr for a mere £23.5 million, according to Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail. Compare that to the £57 million Man City spent to get him from Athletic Bilbao in 2018. It's a steal!
Fans can't stop talking about it. Al Nassr seems to have snagged a serious bargain, and football supporters are unanimous – this fee is a total win for the Saudi club.
bAtTeRy (Twitter): Why is fee so low ? When Maguire was 30 mil ? Something we don't know ?
Joe: £23.5M is an insult to Eric … this lad will be missed. He walks into any team in world football
Mark: How has nobody picked him up? Unbelievable
Mark F: He is a £70m player. Amazed he has gone so cheaply.
Laporte used to be a vital part of Pep Guardiola's defense, but last season, he ended up behind players like John Stones, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, and Nathan Ake.
Then, the arrival of Josko Gvardiol for £77 million from RB Leipzig pushed him even further down the list. As a result, he's signing a three-year contract with Al Nassr.
