Aymeric Laporte has given up on playing for France and has gained Spanish citizenship in order to play at this summer's European Championship.
The Manchester City centre-back was born in Agen, France and represented his native country all the way up to Under-21 level, earning 51 caps across different national youth teams.
But the 26-year-old - who is considered one of the best defenders in the Premier League - is yet to make his senior France debut and has hinted he could represent Spain many times over the years.
This began when Laporte was passed over for a selection for Euro 2016 and gathered momentum as he was left out of France's victorious 2018 World Cup squad.
Laporte's grandparents are Basque and he came through the ranks at Athletic Bilbao, spending eight years with the Spanish club before his £57million transfer to City in January 2018.
In light of his repeated snubs by France boss Didier Deschamps, Laporte has decided he will pursue a spot in Luis Enrique's Spain squad.
As first reported by Marca , the Spanish Football Federation has been in regular contact with the City stalwart over the potential switch.
Enrique hopes to name him in his squad for Euro 2020 which will be released later this month.
Is Laporte the best left-footed centre-back in the Premier League? Have your say in the comments.
Laporte's change of allegiance is yet to be finalised by FIFA but the report claims only formalities remain after the bulk of the paperwork was signed off.
Spain's foremost sports officials met on Tuesday morning to agree Laporte's change of citizenship, which will be officially announced on Wednesday.
Laporte admitted last year he was hurt by Deschamps' snubs given his excellent record with France's youth teams.
"I still miss it a little more with the national squad," he said.
"I've been going there for a long time now, it's a big disappointment, especially after spending more than five years in the French youth team and having been captain for almost three years.
"But life is like that, you have to accept and work hard and strive to get back to the level and be stronger than ever."
Laporte's lack of appearances for France is somewhat explained by France's wealth of left-footed centre-backs.
Barcelona's Samuel Umtiti and Paris Saint-Germain's Presnel Kimpembe were chosen for the 2018 World Cup squad, while the former's teammate, Clement Lenglet, is another left-footed centre-half in the frame.
But with Spain, Laporte can cement himself as a regular on the international stage and he could prove to be the long-term heir to 35-year-old captain Sergio Ramos.
Sign up to the Mirror Football email here for the latest news and transfer gossip.