Aymeric Laporte believes Manchester City are one of the best teams in Europe, the defender having completed his protracted move to the club on Tuesday.
Laporte was reportedly a target for Pep Guardiola shortly after his appointment in 2016 but opted to stay at Athletic Bilbao as he was recovering from an ankle injury.
Guardiola has now got his man, however, with City paying the 23-year-old's €65million release clause and handing him a contract that runs to 2023.
And Laporte hinted City's long pursuit was one of the reasons he was keen to sign for the runaway Premier League leaders.
"I am very happy to be here," Laporte told City's official website.
"City are a club with a lot of ambition and they are one of the best teams in Europe.
"I am looking forward to working under Pep Guardiola and trying to help the club to achieve success.
"It means a lot that the club have shown faith in me and I am excited to get started."
BOOM January 30, 2018
Laporte is uncapped, although he was called up to the France senior squad for the first time by Didier Deschamps last year.
And City's director of football Txiki Begiristain believes the left-footed Laporte will slot in seamlessly at the Etihad Stadium.
"We are delighted to have signed Aymeric," Begiristain said. "We have assessed defensive options and he is a player we have admired for a long time.
"With his quality and ability to play out from the back, we feel Aymeric will fit in perfectly with Pep Guardiola's playing style."
