Aston Villa are believed to be interested in signing Manchester City centre-back Aymeric Laporte during the summer transfer window.
Has Laporte struggled for playing time?
The £120,000-a-week Spaniard has been part of a side City who have etched their name into history of late, winning a treble in 2022/23 that consisted of the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
That being said, Laporte struggled to be an absolute key man for Pep Guardiola's side during the campaign, with the form of the likes of John Stones and Ruben Dias seeing him slip down the pecking order. He only started 11 league games in total, highlighting his lack of playing time, and his future at the Etihad could be in doubt this summer.
The 29-year-old is contracted with City until the end of the 2024/25 season, meaning they could see this as the best time to receive the highest possible amount for him, should Guardiola consider him an expendable player moving forward.
Villa have been linked with a move for Laporte recently, as they look to make some significant summer signings, and it is a rumour that is refusing to go away.
Could Villa snap up Laporte this summer?
According to Football Insider, Villa are "considering a move" for the City centre-back before the new season gets underway, as Unai Emery looks to bolster his defensive options.
The report also states that "Villa are in the market for another centre-back and Laporte ticks a lot of boxes for Unai Emery due to his Premier League experience and ability to play on the left-side of a partnership", admittedly adding that "it is a difficult deal to get over the line and Laporte wants to play Champions League football next season."
Laporte, who has a 100% win record against Villa during his career, could be a superb signing for Villa if Emery manages to entice him to the club, considering he has arguably been one of the Premier League's standout centre-backs over the past five years or so. He has been lauded as "incredible" by Guardiola in the past, as well as the "best left central defender in the world", and he would bring with him a wealth of experience and a winning mentality that comes with enjoying so much trophy success.
It could be a real statement signing by Villa, further suggesting that they are really going places under Emery, and being an undisputed key starter could be enough to persuade the Spain international that a move makes sense.
