Athletic Club defender Aymeric Laporte has denied there is a deal in place to join Manchester City in the summer.
Reports had emerged over the weekend claiming City had activated Laporte’s staggering €50m (£39.5m) release clause as Pep Guardiola closed in on his first signing.
Laporte, 21, is widely regarded as one of the finest young central defenders in Europe and his natural ball playing style is one synonymous with Guardiola’s philosophy.
However, the French-born defender has denied any such deal and has labelled the claims “unfounded and inaccurate”
“Given the unfounded and inaccurate news appearing in the media today, my messages to the fans of Athletic is very clear and simple,” Laporte said in his official statement, via Sky Sports.
“In my mind I have only the desire to be useful to the club and my team-mates, to achieve the best goals this season and also recover from my injury.
“Athletic will always be the first to know about anything that might happen in the future. My loyalty and deep respect for this club is full.”
Laporte is currently sidelined with a broken leg while playing for France’s Under-21s in March. Of defenders to have made at least eight appearances in the Europa League this season, only Sparta Prague’s Jakub Brabec (7.55) has a higher WhoScored rating than Laporte (7.48).
For more stats on Aymeric Laporte, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
