Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte has reaffirmed his commitment to the Premier League champions.

Reports over the weekend suggested that Chelsea had an enquiry knocked back for the Spanish international, and Laporte has spoken out to say that he is keen on staying at the Etihad:

“Yes [I am staying this season], I’m super happy and fit. The team too. There remains only the common objective, the Champions League, but we will do everything to get it this year… I still have three years of contract. I’m happy and the club too. I played a lot of minutes: I am the central defender who had the most. I am a reference and I am very happy that the coach and Manchester City have confidence in me. So why not go on for a long time?”

It’s somewhat surprising that Chelsea even made an approach for Laporte, considering their interest in teammate Nathan Ake. There is a possibility that they asked about the centre-back before negotiating for Ake but it’s not entirely clear which player the Blues went after first.

In any case, Laporte is obviously not interested in leaving Manchester. The 28-year-old was somewhat unsettled at the club at the start of last season but, after playing regularly over the past twelve months, he is now perfectly happy to stay put.

Out of the two, Laporte or Ake, most fans would certainly prefer the latter to be leaving if it came down to a straight choice between them.