Manchester City and Barcelona seem to constantly be in talks over players, although these days it is much more the case that Barcelona are pursuing those in England. The latest case looks set to be Aymeric Laporte.
The Basuqe defender has fallen out of favour with Pep Guardiola and is no longer a starter at Eastlands. Laporte has been key for some time but these days finds himself behind Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias.
MD claim that Laporte is now clear that he wants to leave City, and also claim that he will prioritise Barcelona as his destination.
The major issue will be Barcelona’s salary limit likely to get in the way of any potential deal. It will also depend on the fee that City demand for Laporte. However Sporting Director Jordi Cruyff and Director of Football Mateu Alemany are working out what money they can make available for a deal.
Given Barcelona’s tricky situation with the salary limits, a large outlay on Laporte seems unlikely. The Blaugrana already have Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen and Eric Garcia in central defence, and any available money seems more likely to be directed towards a long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets or a right-back.
Image via JAVIER SORIANO / AFP
