Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte has no regrets over turning down a move to Premier League side Manchester City.

The 22-year-old has recently been called up to the France national team for the first time ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Netherlands respectively.

Laporte has revealed that he held extensive talks with City boss Pep Guardiola, according to SkySports.

However, the young defender opted to sign a new contract with the Lions in June, keeping him at the club until June 2020.

The former French U21 international says after speaking to the City manager, he decided to remain at Bilbao because he believed the cons outweighed the pros.

‘I spoke with him for a long time, as well as with my club. I also looked at my family, my entourage,’ Laporte said.

‘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 has already made nine appearances for the Lions this season, scoring during their 2-1 victory over Granada in September.

Over the course of his career, Laporte has scored eight times and has assisted a further four goals from 166 appearances in all competitions playing for Bilbao since making his debut in November 2012 against Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona in the Europa League.

Image: Athletic Bilbao website