A Manchester City superstar has received heavy criticism after a shock report suggested he will soon switch his international allegiance ahead of the upcoming UEFA European Championship.
It was claimed by Marca on Tuesday that Aymeric Laporte is set to accept a call-up to Spain after constantly being snubbed by Didier Deschamps for France.
La Furia Roja boss Luis Enrique was said to have personally requested a look into the possibility of the 26-year-old being eligible, with the country's government since confirming his citizenship.
The City centre-back, who represented France 51 times at youth level, joined his former club Athletic Bilbao in 2011 before leaving Spain seven years later to join the new Premier League champions.
Since news of his potential allegiance switch became public, Laporte has come in for some heavy criticism, with former Paris Saint-Germain and France winger Jerome Rothen labelling him as "opportunistic", and ex-Arsenal and Les Bleus midfielder Emmanuel Petit calling him out for having made contradictory statements.
The defender has previously stated it was his dream to represent France, but that feeling seems to have changed.
He was called up for Les Bleus duty in August 2019, but was forced to withdraw from the team after picking up an injury that kept him sidelined for months.
