Manchester City signed French defender Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday for 65 million euros ($80 million), bringing the total spent on central defenders since 2014 to $250 million.
Aymeric Laporte, 23, was close to joining City in the summer of 2016 when Guardiola took charge of the English club, but the player backed out, considering himself not ready.
Eighteen months later, Manchester City secured the signing after paying his release clause to strengthen a position that has been problematic for Guardiola.
Laporte is the second most expensive defender in football history, surpassed only by Virgil van Dijk after being transferred from Southampton to Liverpool earlier this month for 75 million pounds ($100 million).
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