Aymeric Laporte talked to Pep Guardiola before snubbing Manchester City

Manchester City target Aymeric Laporte has revealed that he snubbed a move to the Premier League in the summer after weighing the pros and cons of moving to such a competitive league so early in his career. The Athletic Bilbao defender had a long discussion with manager Pep Guardiola before signing a new deal with the Spanish club when he was recovering from an ankle injury.

City eventually moved for John Stones from Everton for a record fee and he has slotted in brilliantly and led the Citizens to six straight wins before eventually losing to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. The Citizens were beaten 2-0 by Mauricio Pochettino's men, with the north London club benefiting from an own goal by Pablo Zabaleta before the winner by Dele Alli.

The Frenchman insisted that there were a lot of considerations for him, including time on the pitch, recovery from injury and other factors, which led him to the decision. Laporte has made nine appearances for Bilbao this season, scoring once in the process.

"How did I say no to Pep? By looking at the pros and cons. I spoke with him for a long time, as well as with my club. I also looked at my family, my entourage. It wasn't too early. It was just pros and cons - amount of time on the pitch, me recovering from injury. These aren't easy things to think about at my age. In the end, I had to make a choice. I did, and I'm happy," Laporte told radio station RTL, as quoted by Sky Sports.

City play Everton next in the league, followed by a trip to the Camp Nuo to face Barcelona in their third group game of the Champions League. The Premier League club currently have four points in the group, following their 3-3 draw with Celtic, after a 4-0 demolition of Borussia Monchengladbach.