Aymeric Laporte
Aymeric Laporte
Aston Villa have been credited with an interest in Spanish international and former Manchester City title winner Aymeric Laporte as they consider their options with the intention of adding to their centre half department this summer.
Villa parted with fringe player Kortney Hause at the end of last season, while the versatile Axel Disasi's loan spell, having been borrowed from Chelsea in the January transfer window, has ended. Villa, of course, also sold Diego Carlos in January, too, so they're left with senior trio Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres, although young Yasin Ozcan has also joined.
Laporte has been in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, Jhon Duran's club, since 2023 having brought to an end a five-and-a-half-year stay at Manchester City; the 31-year-old won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three League Cups and the Champions League during his time at the Etihad Stadium. Laporte also won the Euros with Spain last summer.
A serial winner - Pep Guardiola once described Laporte as being a player with 'incredible ability' - he is reportedly wanted for a return to Europe after two seasons in the Saudi Pro League, during which time he has scored nine goals in 69 appearances. The 40-time capped Spanish international is a target of former side Athletic Bilbao, who are preparing for a Champions League stint next season.
There remains interest from England, too, however; Villa and Arsenal are supposedly keen, while Laporte has admirers too in France and Italy, but all of the above will find it tricky to extract him from Al-Nassr, reports AS, because of the finances it would take - both in terms of a transfer fee and by way of attracting Laporte away from what is a lucrative salary.
AS reckon Laporte, who has a year left on his Al-Nassr deal, is on around 25m euros a year and, on top of that, the club would expect to recoup as much of the 27m euros they paid Manchester City to bring him to Saudi in the first place, a couple of summers ago.
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