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Arsenal have reportedly tabled a surprise bid to rope in Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte, who is Cristiano Ronaldo's club teammate.
The north London team, who ended second in the Premier League table for the third time in a row past month, are in the process of rejuvenating their squad. They are reportedly keen to sign a new striker and a holding midfielder soon with Benjamin Sesko and Martin Zubimendi linked.
However, according to Spanish outlet AS, Arsenal are one of the clubs to have made a surprise bid to lure Laporte away from Ronaldo's side. The Gunners are set to face competition from Aston Villa, Inter Milan, Athletic Club, and Olympique Marseille in the race to sign the 31-year-old.
Laporte, whose Al-Nassr contract will run out in June 2026, started 25 of his 30 total appearances for his club in the 2024-25 season. He bagged five goals with four coming in the Saudi Pro League.
During his time at Manchester City from 2018 to 2023, the Arsenal target netted eight goals in 121 Premier League matches. He helped City win six league titles and one UEFA Champions League trophy.
Should Laporte join Arsenal this summer, he could prove to be a shrewd arrival. He would add experience to Arsenal's squad and act as a squad option behind William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Ex-Brazil star opines on meeting Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United signed both Kleberson and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003 and announced the Brazilian star and the Portuguese's arrivals together.
Speaking to the Mirror, Kleberson opened up on the Al-Nassr superstar:
"It's so funny because when I got into Old Trafford to sign my contract, I remember I was on a table with a lot of agents. And then a young guy was there. I asked, 'Who's that kid?' And it was Cristiano Ronaldo. I was told he played for Sporting against United and he destroyed the game. Before Cristiano, they tried to bring Ronaldinho and I thought, 'Wow, that kid is probably special'."
Kleberson, who played for Manchester United 30 total times, concluded:
"As soon as I saw that kid on the field, his dribbling, his technical quality, it was amazing. But one thing was how focused he was. He was really focused on the things he wanted to see, concentrated. He wanted to get better quickly. He had a special mentor in Sir Alex Ferguson and he put him in the right direction. [Rio] Ferdinand, Roy Keane and Gary Neville helped him to improve."
Ronaldo, 40, scored 145 goals in 346 total games for United in two stints.
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Debkalpa Banerjee
Debkalpa is a journalist who covers European football at Sportskeeda. He is a PGD holder from the Asian College of Journalism, has interviewed Emile Heskey and Jason McAteer, ideated a six-part IE feature series titled 'India's New Hopes', and tried to shine a light on mental health in football involving a Bengaluru FC initiative. He has strong journalism skills along with a good understanding of SEO. In his spare time, he stays up all night following Liverpool FC.
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Edited by Debkalpa Banerjee