Home side is banking on Laporte
THERE is a corner of France that will forever be Aymeric Laporte.
When the 23-year-old moved to Manchester City for a club-record £57million last month, it wasn’t just Athletic Bilbao who were quids in.
The centre-back’s hometown club banked a £570,000 solidarity payment which saved them from going bust.
Now Sporting Union of Agen – a team currently near the bottom of the fifth tier of French football – are set to honour their most famous son with a new academy that will bear his name.
Laporte, who had already donated £60,000 of his own money to the scheme, explained: “There has been talk about the club naming a plot of land after me.
“I don’t know exactly what they are planning, but obviously I am just really happy to have been able to help because they were having financial difficulties. I was born in Agen. I grew up there. I did everything there.
“I still have contacts at the club, even though most of my friends that I played with are no longer there.
“But I have received calls from the local council congratulating me on my move to City and thanking me for what I had done.”
Laporte’s first appearance in the Carabao Cup could be in today’s final showdown with Arsenal at Wembley.
He only joined City after turning down Pep Guardiola’s earlier offer to come to Manchester in the summer 2016.
“I was injured and I didn’t think it was the right moment for me to come here,” Laporte explained.
“I came here firstly because of the manager but I looked at the team and there are so many young players a similar age to myself, that that was also a major factor.”