Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur will have to shell out £30 million to sign 29-year-old Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte.
According to a report by Daily Mirror, Manchester City will listen to offers for Aymeric Laporte this summer. Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur are keen on signing the treble winner. And the Citizens want to recoup £30 million by selling the 29-year-old defender.
Aymeric Laporte was one of the best defenders in the world when he joined Manchester City from Athletic Club in January 2018. And he immediately elevated the levels at the Etihad after moving to the Premier League club. However, the Spanish international has seen his stature reduce in the last two seasons.
While Manchester City won the treble, the 29-year-old hardly featured. He managed less than 2,000 minutes of game time across only 24 appearances in all competitions. So it is hardly surprising that Laporte’s future at the Etihad is uncertain. And the situation has captured the attention of Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Tottenham.
Arsenal’s interest in the 29-year-old treble winner is surprising, considering they signed Jakub Kiwior in January. And after securing the services of Jurrien Timber this summer, the Gunners do not need another centre-back. But the report claims the Manchester City defender features on their radar. And his price tag of £30 million makes him a senseless investment for Arsenal.
As for Aston Villa, the Villans have signed Pau Torres this summer. And the Spaniard’s arrival has completed Aston Villa’s defensive unit, which also consists of Ezri Konsa, Douglas Carlos, and Tyrone Mings. So spending £30 million to secure Laporte’s services will be bizarre.
Meanwhile, Tottenham can do with a player of Laporte’s qualities. The North London giants are desperate to sign a centre-back following a dreadful 2022/23 campaign. And while they are close to signing Micky van de Ven, they need another central defender after a season that saw them conceding 63 goals.
An investment of £30 million to secure Laporte’s services will be sensible on Tottenham’s part. And it will be interesting to see if Arsenal and Aston Villa also decide to launch bids to sign the 29-year-old treble winner. For now, the Spanish international faces an uncertain future at Manchester City following Josko Gvardiol’s arrival this week.