Athletic Bilbao centre-back Aymeric Laporte insists he is still pleased he rejected the chance to join Manchester City earlier this summer.
Laporte has been linked with a move away from Bilbao for the last few years but has always decided to remain loyal.
The 22-year-old, who has represented France at every level from Under-17 to Under-21, has made 115 appearances for Bilbao since his debut in 2012.
The Agen-born star will be hoping to make his full debut against Bulgaria or the Netherlands this week after being called up for the first time for the World Cup qualifiers.
Laporte has confirmed that City boss Pep Guardiola tried to sign up following his arrival from Bayern Munich. Despite City’s strong start in all competitions, the youngster insists he made the right choice.
He told French radio station RTL: “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.”
France are priced at 1.14 to beat Bulgaria and the draw is available at odds of 8.00, while the visitors are 19.00 to grab all three points.
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