The 31-year-old joined the Saudi club in August 2023 and has since gone on to make 69 appearances for them after successful stints at Manchester City and Athletic Bilbao.
_**READ MORE: [Will astute Villa addition build on last season or could reshuffle be smarter option?](https://talk-villa.com/ross-barkley-aston-villa-future-key-option-next-season-barrenechea/)**_
However, speculation appears to be suggesting that a return to Europe could be a possibility this summer, with [AS](https://as.com/futbol/valverde-pide-a-laporte-para-la-champions-n/) reporting that Athletic are leading the charge to try and convince him to return with just one year remaining on his lucrative contract with Al Nassr.
They’re not the only interested party though, as it’s also reported that Villa are potentially keen on bringing him in to bolster Unai Emery’s defence, along with Marseille, Arsenal, Inter and Napoli.
In turn, it remains to be seen if our interest is legitimate firstly, and whether or not we launch a significant bid to fend off the competition and land Laporte’s signature.
It’s not the first time we’ve been linked with having an interest in acquiring the Spaniard, but with the transfer fee involved coupled with the significant salary that he would demand given what he has been earning over the past two years, it’s arguably one that will be out of our reach this summer.
Further, it’s questionable as to why we would invest heavily in another left-sided centre-half, with Pau Torres already at Emery’s disposal while Tyrone Mings penned a contract extension earlier this month to provide more than enough competition in that specific role.
Coupled with the arrival of talented young defender Yasin Ozcan, we have more than enough in that particular area of the squad if he’s given a chance to be involved with the first-team this season, and so question marks have to be raised over whether or not this is just a lazy link based on previous interest shown.
Time will tell how Laporte’s future plays out, but it would certainly be a surprise if Villa emerged as leaders of the race to sign him, unless something changes in the coming weeks to warrant us looking for another centre-half in that specific position.
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