Al-Nassr defender Aymeric Laporte says he would listen to a call from Real Madrid if the club approached him over a transfer.
The LaLiga champions currently only have one fit centre-back after Eder Militao suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury that requires surgery against Osasuna last weekend.
David Alaba is still recovering from a knee operation last December, while they are also light at right-back, with Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez also sidelined.
Madrid are reportedly interested in signing Laporte, who moved to the Saudi Pro League from Manchester City in August 2023 and has made nine appearances in the competition so far this season.
The defender won five Premier League titles while in England, as well as two FA Cups, three EFL Cups and the Champions League, while he was also part of the Spain squad that won Euro 2024 in July.
When asked how he would feel about a potential move to Madrid, he told El Larguero: "I've read the same things as everybody else. I would listen to the call. Obviously, you don’t look down on teams like Real Madrid.
"I've said it many times, my idea is to return to Europe. I went there [to Saudi Arabia] to play football, not to do other things.
"So far it hasn't been bad for me as while I've been there. I've won a European Championship, which is the most beautiful thing that has happened in my career."
Meanwhile, Tottenham full-back Pedro Porro has also seen his name linked with Los Blancos amid their recent injury problems.
He has played all but three minutes in the Premier League this season and has made the second-most interceptions (15) and tackles (25), while nobody in the squad has made more blocks (five).
His tally of 76 crosses is also a team-high, and he says his main focus is on the job in front of him.
"That one of the best clubs in the world notices me means that I'm doing my job well at my club," he said. "But it's not just my name that is being linked, there are others.
"My friends send me those rumours, but I'm focused on my job, and I cannot be distracted by that."
Alvaro Morata expressed his excitement about the future of the Spanish national team after they confirmed their place in the Nations League quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Morata netted Spain's second goal in their 3-0 win over Serbia, having missed a penalty 11 minutes earlier, with Aymeric Laporte and Alex Baena also on target for La Roja.
Luis de la Fuente's side have now won 12 of their 15 matches in all competitions this year (D2 L1), equalling their most victories in a single calendar year since 2013.
Despite missing seven of their regular first-team players, including the likes of Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Dani Olmo, Spain made light work of Dragan Stojkovic's side in Cordoba.
And their latest victory has captain Morata looking forward to the future, with the Milan striker confident of building on their Euro 2024 success.
"We are in another final stage of a major tournament and that is something to be proud of," captain Morata told Spanish public television TVE.
"It seems easy because we are always there in the final stages but sure it isn't so we have to understand how special it is and give it the proper value it has.
"We have several injured players, we missed them but we have to look at the positives that are young players stepping up.
"What we have created is special, and we have to keep going forward. Spain has an incredible future."
De la Fuente, however, was more measured in his assessment of proceedings.
The Spain manager watched on as his side registered 30 shots, 10 of which were on target, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.92.
They also restricted Serbia to just one attempt throughout, though De la Fuente insisted he still wants to see improvements from his players.
"Blessed problem. God willing that it continues like this for a long time. When you have a lot of winning streaks you are closer to losing than winning," De la Fuente said.
"We are not satisfied. This team is insatiable sportingly, it wants more and more. We do it with so much joy, we already enjoy it so much that it is difficult not to be like that.
"Let's try to see how far we go. When it is not achieved, one day it will not be achieved, because we will have to understand that this is how sport is.
"We will begin another cycle. Whoever wants to beat us will have to do very well."
Spain cruised into the Nations League quarter-finals after Tuesday's comfortable 3-0 victory over Serbia.
Luis de la Fuente's side eased to a routine win in Cordoba, qualifying for the knockout stages with two games to spare after Switzerland's 2-2 draw with Denmark guaranteed Spain a top-two spot in their group.
Aymeric Laporte opened the scoring after just five minutes, heading into the far corner after a well-worked corner routine allowed Pedro Porro space to deliver.
Mikel Merino's header from Alex Baena's cross was denied by the post soon after, before Spain missed a glorious chance to extend their lead after the interval.
Porro's vicious shot was adjudged to have been handled by Veljko Birmancevic, but Alvaro Morata blazed over with a disappointing 54th-minute penalty.
Captain Morata made amends just 11 minutes later, however, finishing with ease into the bottom corner after Fabian Ruiz profited on Serbia's slack attempts to play out from defence.
Further misery followed for Serbia as Strahinja Pavlovic's last-man challenge on Mikel Oyarzabal was upgraded to a red card following a VAR review, before Baena curled the resulting free-kick past Predrag Rajkovic to seal another Roja win.
Data Debrief: Unbeaten run continues for rampant Roja
De la Fuente masterminded Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, with the best team deservedly triumphing at the tournament in Germany, but La Roja's impressive run started well before that.
Spain are now unbeaten in their last 19 matches across all competitions (W17 D2), excluding friendlies, their best such streak since a 29-game run between June 2010 and June 2013 (W24 D5).
This was a typically dominant performance from the hosts, who accumulated 2.9 expected goals (xG) compared to Serbia's meagre 0.37, as the away side struggled throughout.
Spain took a giant leap to securing Nations League quarter-final progression after Tuesday's comfortable 3-0 victory over Serbia.
Luis de la Fuente's side will need just a point from their last two games in the competition next month after a routine win in Cordoba.
Aymeric Laporte opened the scoring after just five minutes, heading into the far corner after a well-worked corner routine allowed Pedro Porro space to deliver.
Mikel Merino's header from Alex Baena's cross was denied by the post soon after, before Spain missed a glorious chance to extend their lead after the interval.
Porro's vicious shot was adjudged to have been handled by Veljko Birmancevic, but Alvaro Morata blazed over with a disappointing 54th-minute penalty.
Captain Morata made amends just 11 minutes later, however, finishing with ease into the bottom corner after Fabian Ruiz profited on Serbia's slack attempts to play out from defence.
Further misery followed for Serbia as Strahinja Pavlovic's last-man challenge on Mikel Oyarzabal was upgraded to a red card following a VAR review, before Baena curled the resulting free-kick past Predrag Rajkovic to seal another Roja win.
Data Debrief: Unbeaten run continues for rampant Roja
De la Fuente masterminded Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, with the best team deservedly triumphing at the tournament in Germany, but La Roja's impressive run started well before that.
Spain are now unbeaten in their last 19 matches across all competitions (W17 D2), excluding friendlies, their best such streak since a 29-game run between June 2010 and June 2013 (W24 D5).
This was a typically dominant performance from the hosts, who accumulated 2.9 expected goals (xG) compared to Serbia's meagre 0.37, as the away side struggled throughout.
Cristiano Ronaldo returned from suspension but failed to find the net as Al-Nassr secured a 1-0 win over Al-Khaleej on Saturday, with Aymeric Laporte coming up with the decisive goal.
Ronaldo was in action for the first time since being sent off for an elbow in a 2-1 Saudi Super Cup loss to Al-Hilal earlier this month, with his initial two-match ban being reduced to one on appeal.
He missed three good chances as Al-Nassr threatened to fall further behind runaway Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, but former Manchester City defender Laporte spared his blushes by nodding Marcelo Brozovic's deep free-kick into the bottom-left corner with 68 minutes gone.
Al-Nassr remain nine points adrift of Al-Hilal at the summit in spite of their win, with Jorge Jesus' team unbeaten through 28 games this season as they close in on a record-extending 18th title.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo misfires on return
Ronaldo was presented with the Saudi Pro League's Player of the Month award for March ahead of kick-off, having scored four goals in three league appearances last month.
However, his sights were off on Saturday as he failed to net despite three of the visitors' four big chances, as defined by Opta, falling his way. He led all players on the pitch for expected goals (1.27 xG), shots (five), shots on target (three) and touches in the area (nine) without reward.
Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte has announced his departure from the club in a video on social media.
Laporte has reportedly agreed to join Al-Nassr after five-and-a-half-years in England.
The Spain international will become the latest high-profile player to sign for a Saudi Pro League club, with ex-City team-mate Riyad Mahrez among them after making the move to Al-Ahli last month.
“Dear Cityzens, today I wanted to share a story with you,” Laporte said in a video on Twitter that went on to show a highlights reel of his time at Man City.
“This is now our history. Thank you and see you really soon.”
Centre-back Laporte added in his social-media post: “It has lasted for five-and-a-half unforgettable years.
“Plenty of memories that I will keep forever close to my heart.”
Laporte will leave the Etihad after making 180 appearances for City, with his last outing for the club off the bench during their opening-day Premier League win at Burnley.
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After being restricted to a place among the substitutes for the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal and the UEFA Super Cup triumph over Sevilla, he was absent from the matchday squad for last weekend’s win over Newcastle.
The arrival of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig has further pushed Laporte down the pecking order at City.
A powerful recruitment drive by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has seen Saudi Pro League teams – all PIF-owned – sign a plethora of the world’s best players this summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson have all swapped the Premier League for the division in the Middle East during the past 12 months.
Laporte will now do the same after winning 13 trophies during his time at City, including five Premier League titles and last season’s Champions League.
Josko Gvardiol won plenty of admirers during Croatia's run to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals.
The 21-year-old central defender is contracted until 2027, but has a hefty release clause that will become active in 2024.
As a result, clubs are likely to be competing to secure the Croatian's services in the next transfer window.
TOP STORY – CITY AND REAL PRIORITISE GVARDIOL SIGNING
Manchester City and Real Madrid have both made RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol their priority centre-back target for the next transfer window, according to 90min.
The report claims Leipzig wants £75m (€85m) for the Croatian defender, who almost joined Chelsea last off-season.
City and Real are also both in contention to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, complicating the Gvardiol move.
The report also claims City are willing to offload Aymeric Laporte to help facilitate any move.
ROUND-UP
– Liverpool are the favourites ahead of Manchester City in the race to sign Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount in the off-season, reports Football Insider.
– Manchester United are keeping an eye on Joao Felix 's situation with the Atletico Madrid forward currently on loan at Chelsea, claims Mundo Deportivo. Chelsea have been linked with a permanent deal for the Portuguese.
– The Sun claims Leicester City are keen on re-signing Harry Maguire on loan from Manchester United amid talk he will exit Old Trafford.
– Arsenal 's desire to land Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus could see the Gunners offer up Granit Xhaka and Nicolas Pepe as part of a deal, reports Calciomercatoweb.
– Fichajes claims Manchester City and Chelsea will battle it out to sign Milan full-back Theo Hernandez.
– Barcelona have prioritised a move for Liverpool winger Luis Diaz in the next transfer window, according to Fichajes.
Manchester United have reportedly made Tottenham striker Harry Kane their top priority when addressing their attacking options at the end of the season.
Kane, 29, has already stamped his legacy as one of the Premier League's greatest ever strikers, sitting third on the all-time goals list in the competition with 201. He also owns the record for the most goals ever scored for Tottenham (268) and is tied for the most goals representing England (53).
Despite his decorated personal resume, Tottenham are set for a 15th consecutive season without any silverware, and with their Champions League hopes for next campaign hanging on by a thread, they may have run out of time to prove to their star striker why he should stay.
TOP STORY – UNITED DETERMINED TO BRING KANE TO OLD TRAFFORD
According to the Manchester Evening News, Erik ten Hag has identified Kane as his primary target.
The report adds that they remain interested in Napoli's Victor Osimhen, as well as Benfica's Goncalo Ramos, but Kane is the top priority if they can make it happen.
With only one more season remaining on his contract, Kane will likely get his wish to leave if he decides he will certainly not sign a new deal, as the club would be risking a potential £100million sale if they hold onto him through the next transfer deadline.
But just because Tottenham may sell him does not mean he would land at Old Trafford, with Bayern Munich's well-documented interest still prevalent.
ROUND-UP
– Calciomercato is reporting Inter are interested in bringing in towering 24-year-old Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca from West Ham after a disappointing first season in the Premier League.
– According to Mundo Deportivo, 25-year-old Tottenham striker Richarlison is a candidate to replace Karim Benzema at Real Madrid, while Calciomercato adds Juventus are also keeping a close eye on Richarlison's availability.
– Roberto Firmino has offered his services to Barcelona as he seeks a new team for next season, per Sport.
– Football Insider is reporting Manchester United are in "pole position" to meet the £70m (€79m) asking price to sign 25-year-old Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, despite his repeated comments that he has no interest in leaving Spain.
– Journalist Rudy Galetti claims Chelsea are interested in a pair of 28-year-old centre backs – Aymeric Laporte of Manchester City and Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez.
Manchester United have reportedly made Tottenham striker Harry Kane their top priority when addressing their attacking options at the end of the season.
Kane, 29, has already stamped his legacy as one of the Premier League's greatest ever strikers, sitting third on the all-time goals list in the competition with 201. He also owns the record for the most goals ever scored for Tottenham (268) and is tied for the most goals representing England (53).
Despite his decorated personal resume, Tottenham are set for a 15th consecutive season without any silverware, and with their Champions League hopes for next campaign hanging on by a thread, they may have run out of time to prove to their star striker why he should stay.
TOP STORY – UNITED DETERMINED TO BRING KANE TO OLD TRAFFORD
According to the Manchester Evening News, Erik ten Hag has identified Kane as his primary target.
The report adds that they remain interested in Napoli's Victor Osimhen, as well as Benfica's Goncalo Ramos, but Kane is the top priority if they can make it happen.
With only one more season remaining on his contract, Kane will likely get his wish to leave if he decides he will certainly not sign a new deal, as the club would be risking a potential £100million sale if they hold onto him through the next transfer deadline.
But just because Tottenham may sell him does not mean he would land at Old Trafford, with Bayern Munich's well-documented interest still prevalent.
ROUND-UP
– Calciomercato is reporting Inter are interested in bringing in towering 24-year-old Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca from West Ham after a disappointing first season in the Premier League.
– According to Mundo Deportivo, 25-year-old Tottenham striker Richarlison is a candidate to replace Karim Benzema at Real Madrid, while Calciomercato adds Juventus are also keeping a close eye on Richarlison's availability.
– Roberto Firmino has offered his services to Barcelona as he seeks a new team for next season, per Sport.
– Football Insider is reporting Manchester United are in "pole position" to meet the £70m (€79m) asking price to sign 25-year-old Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, despite his repeated comments that he has no interest in leaving Spain.
– Journalist Rudy Galetti claims Chelsea are interested in a pair of 28-year-old centre backs – Aymeric Laporte of Manchester City and Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez.
Bernardo Silva is one step closer to getting his desired move to Barcelona after it was reported that Manchester City have named a price for their wantaway midfielder.
Silva, 28, is in his sixth season with City, but after four Premier League titles and 51 goals for the club, he recently spoke about his wish for a new challenge following multiple transfer windows with heavy interest from Barcelona.
The Portugal international, who scored against Newcastle United on Saturday, has a contract that ties him to the club until 2025, but City might be set grant his wish at the end of the season and allow him to leave – for the right price.
TOP STORY – CITY SET ASKING PRICE FOR BARCELONA-BOUND BERNARDO
According to Sport, City have told Silva that they will accept any incoming bid that reaches their demand of £57.5million (€65m).
Barcelona are well aware of the latest development, and are said to be doing all they can in the coming months to ensure the financial rules allow them to make the move. However, Silva's contract demands could be a stumbling block for the Spanish giants.
Reports suggest City previously rejected Barcelona's £62m (€70m) approach during the January window.
ROUND-UP
– Calciomercato is reporting Inter will seek a €40m fee for defender Denzel Dumfries.
– According to The Mirror, Manchester United and Liverpool are among the Premier League teams preparing to make a run at New England Revolution goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.
– City will pursue RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol if they sell Paris Saint-Germain target Aymeric Laporte, per the Daily Star.
– Football Insider is reporting Arsenal, City, United and Liverpool are all showing interest in Brighton and Hove Albion's World Cup-winning midfielder Alexis Mac Allister , who the Seagulls are expected to price at £70m.
– According to Calciomercato, Milan are targeting £22m-rated (€25m) Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Chelsea will reportedly make a run at signing Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic at the end of the season after a troubling campaign for the Blues in front of goal.
Through 24 Premier League fixtures, Chelsea have only scored 23 goals, ranking them 14th overall and the lowest total of any side in the top 11.
Lacking a true number nine, and with it remaining unlikely that Romelu Lukaku returns from his Inter loan next season, Chelsea have been keeping a close eye on Vlahovic.
The 23-year-old, who arrived in Turin for a €70million fee in January 2022, has had an injury-interrupted first full season in Italy, with eight goals in 15 Serie A appearances.
While Massimiliano Allegri's side would likely prefer to persist with the tall frontman, who already has 10 senior international goals for Serbia in 19 appearances, the club's financial position could force their hand.
TOP STORY – VLAHOVIC EMERGES AS POTENTIAL ANSWER TO CHELSEA'S STRIKER DILEMMA
According to Football Insider, Chelsea are "desperate" to add a true striker, and view Vlahovic as one of three desirable Serie A targets.
They are also supposedly weighing up the possibility of bringing Roma's Tammy Abraham back to Stamford Bridge, while Chelsea will also test the availability of Napoli's Victor Osimhen, who is thought to be an unrealistic option.
The report adds that Vlahovic is one of the players Juventus may make available at the end of the season as they work to recover from financial uncertainty.
ROUND-UP
– The Times reports that Chelsea have reignited their interest in 21-year-old RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol, who they are hoping to land for a fee cheaper than the £97m (€110m) release clause that will become active in 2024.
– According to Express, 24-year-old Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar has decided to snub Manchester United and will instead join Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer when his contract expires in July.
– Real Madrid are monitoring 25-year-old Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, although the Brazilian insists he is content with his current situation, per Mundo Deportivo.
– Sport reports that Madrid will be joined by rivals Barcelona in the pursuit of 28-year-old Manchester City centre-back Aymeric Laporte.
– According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool are considered the frontrunners to land 24-year-old Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount if he decides to not sign a long-term extension.
Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte will miss Manchester City's away game against RB Leipzig with illness, Pep Guardiola revealed.
De Bruyne and Laporte were surprise absences from the City squad for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
But Guardiola was able to confirm the nature of their problems after landing in Germany.
The City manager was unsure if either player – both of whom started against Nottingham Forest on Saturday – would return for this weekend's game at Bournemouth, having come down with illness in recent days.
Those absences will leave Guardiola with decisions to make around his team selection, although he had already been provoking some curiosity by naming Bernardo Silva, a midfielder, at left-back.
Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko fulfilled that role previously, but Silva struggled against Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and then appeared to be at fault for Forest's equaliser on Saturday.
Guardiola said he was "not so stupid to think Bernardo is a full-back" as he explained his thought-process.
"People say we conceded the goal on the left side because Bernardo's playing there, but people don't realise – the view is like he's a left-back who has to defend in that position," he said.
"Bernardo helped us to do what we had done against Nottingham Forest. Without Bernardo, it was not possible to concede [only] one counter-attack and one or two actions at the end and [have] the amount of control of the game."
Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte have been left out of Manchester City's squad to play RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday.
John Stones is also absent from the group, although he has been missing since January with a hamstring injury.
There was no immediate explanation for De Bruyne and Laporte not travelling to Germany, with Pep Guardiola due to meet the media later on Tuesday.
Both players started Saturday's 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest. De Bruyne was substituted in the 88th minute, while Laporte completed the match.
Meanwhile, Leipzig were hoping to have Christopher Nkunku available after he returned to action for the first time since November.
Having played at Wolfsburg at the weekend, Nkunku could not complete Leipzig's full training session on Tuesday, the club said, due to a muscle issue.
Aymeric Laporte headed into Spain's Group E finale having not missed a beat at the heart of Luis Enrique's defence – but his overall World Cup focus has been sketchy at best and that is by his own admission.
The Manchester City defender, who has been joined by club-mate Rodri at the heart of the Spanish backline, has indicated he is not paying attention to the tournament far beyond caring about La Roja's next game.
Former Athletic Bilbao star Laporte said he had not "even looked" at who might await Spain in the last-16 stage and had "no idea" of the possibilities of who that might be.
It is perhaps an unusual attitude for a professional footballer, but Laporte appears to fall into the category of sportsmen who are stunningly proficient in what they do, but not naturally inclined to take their work home with them.
He told the Guardian: "I'm not a football addict. Honestly, I don't like watching matches."
The 28-year-old accepts he is not the sharpest at keeping tabs on his team's workload, even at City.
"Honestly, when I play for City, I don't even know what time kick-off is," he said. "My family call and say: hey, what time tomorrow? [I say] 'I don't know.'"
However, Laporte has done little wrong on the pitch in Spain's opening games, a 7-0 win over Costa Rica and a 1-1 draw with Germany.
Heading into Thursday's run of games, of all defenders to have played at least 90 minutes in this World Cup, Laporte had averaged the most passes per 90 minutes (125.5 – 11.31 more than anyone else) and the most passes in his own half (89 – 18 more than the next player on the list).
He had had the third-most touches per 90 minutes (132.5) among defenders, with only team-mate Jordi Alba (136.23) and Germany's Nico Schlotterbeck (132.58) having more.
It helps that Spain play in a similar vein to City, with their possession-based game one that suits Laporte, and it can only help to have Rodri with him, even if for their club the former Atletico Madrid man is typically deployed in midfield.
Laporte had no doubt Rodri would be an ideal fit for defensive duties, and he is coaching his friend through games.
They had another job to do against Japan on Thursday, with Spain knowing a draw would be enough to secure progress.
"Rodri's intelligent, he knows how to adapt," Laporte said. "It's different for him. He seeks advice, asks a lot of questions; it's all very natural.
"We've only let in one and we hope there aren't any more. Basically, I answer the questions he asks. Do I step out? When do we drop? Do I have to go with the striker when he runs into the space? Do I hold? Do I follow? Do I step out with the ball?
"He asks lots of questions: being firm, decision-making, with the ball, without it. And I try to help as best I can."
Pep Guardiola's new contract with Manchester City will see him remain at the Etihad Stadium until 2025, when he will mark nine years at the club.
The Catalan coach has already remained in the Premier League for longer than he has at his previous roles with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, finding a home within English football and establishing a dominant force with his City side.
Throughout his six and a half years in charge so far, Guardiola has been in charge of numerous superstars and club legends, with an all-time squad that would be of envy for any manager in world football.
But how exactly do you break that down into a full XI? Stats Perform has taken on the task and done exactly that.
Ederson
Guardiola made a bold choice upon his arrival in Manchester, swiftly making it clear England international Joe Hart, a two-time Premier League winner, would not fit into his plans moving forward. After a disappointing season with Claudio Bravo, Ederson arrived in 2017 and has been number one ever since.
All of Ederson's 260 appearances across all competitions have come as a starter, higher than any other player under Guardiola, while he sits fifth in the list for total appearances under the Catalan boss.
Kyle Walker
Signed from Tottenham Hotspur in 2017, Kyle Walker has been a mainstay in the City side that has dominated domestic football over the course of the past five years, ranking fifth for the most starts under Guardiola in all competitions (207).
Walker's versatility has been a key benefit for Guardiola and England, with his attacking play also fitting into City's style of play well. Since arriving at City, Walker has contributed 17 assists across all competitions, behind only Joao Cancelo (20) among defenders.
Aymeric Laporte
Among defenders during Guardiola's spell in charge, only John Stones and Walker have started more games than Laporte (155), with both players having joined the club in the seasons before Laporte's arrival from Athletic Bilbao in January 2018.
A total of 163 appearances across all competitions puts him narrowly ahead of Nicolas Otamendi (161) for most games under Guardiola.
John Stones
Snapped up in 2016 as one of Guardiola's first signings, Stones has had to contend with incredible competition for his spot at the heart of the defence, with the likes of Laporte, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake all drafted in.
Despite that, Stones continues to be an important player for City and has made 175 starts under Guardiola and 206 appearances overall, ranking second in both among defenders behind only Walker.
Joao Cancelo
The versatile Portuguese full-back moved to City in 2019 from Juventus and has excelled for City, tallying 149 total appearances and 135 starts in all competitions since joining the club, and provides a huge boost in the attacking third.
A total of 20 assists puts him above any defender during Guardiola's spell in charge, even those who have been at the club far longer.
Kevin de Bruyne
Few players fit the Guardiola philosophy more than De Bruyne, who has hit new heights under the former Barcelona boss to stand among the finest players in world football – with a record in front of goal that many would envy.
De Bruyne has registered 117 assists under Guardiola, way ahead of second-place Raheem Sterling (66), while he has scored 73 goals – only behind Gabriel Jesus, Sterling and Sergio Aguero.
Ilkay Gundogan
With 205 starts under Guardiola, the midfielder has been an integral part of the City side since following the Catalan from Germany to Manchester, ranking only behind Walker, David Silva, Sterling, De Bruyne and Ederson in that regard.
Only six players have scored more goals under Guardiola than Gundogan (51), who ranks ninth for the most assists (33).
Fernandinho
The rock of City's midfield for years, Fernandinho started 200 games under Guardiola and made a total of 244 appearances, the latter seeing him rank behind only Ederson, Bernardo Silva, Gundogan, De Bruyne and Sterling.
A total of 12 goals and 16 assists in those matches represents a decent return for a player renowned more for his defensive strength.
Bernardo Silva
Slotting into the attack ahead of Phil Foden and David Silva, both of whom have a stellar record under Guardiola, Bernardo Silva narrowly gets the nod due to his own impressive numbers in the final third.
Silva has 104 direct goal contributions (50 goals, 54 assists) in 273 appearances, starting in 208 of those matches. Only Sterling and De Bruyne have more assists under Guardiola, while Silva is one of eight players to hit the half-century mark for goals.
Sergio Aguero
In the future, Aguero's spot in the team is likely to be under significant threat from Erling Haaland following his blistering start to life at City, but the Argentine superstar retains the edge for the time being.
Aguero scored 124 goals under Guardiola, more than any other player, with Sterling the only other to have broken the century mark. Those goals came in just 183 appearances with Guardiola in charge, displaying his deadly ability in front of the net.
Raheem Sterling
An unsung hero of the Guardiola era, Sterling played 292 times under the Catalan boss, more than anyone else, while only Aguero scored more goals than Sterling (120).
Sterling also contributed 66 assists under Guardiola, sitting behind only De Bruyne, and is the only player to have scored over 100 goals and added over 50 assists under the Catalan boss.
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