Manchester City ready to sell 28-year-old star in the summer - Reports
Manchester City would reportedly be willing to part ways with centre-back Aymeric Laporte in the summer, according to Football Insider.
The Spanish defender has fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad under Pep Guardiola this season. Laporte has missed a few games due to a knee injury and has made just 15 appearances across competitions this season.
Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, and John Stones have all played more minutes than the Spaniard.
As per the aforementioned Football Insider report, Laporte is considering his future options and could leave in the summer.
Manchester City would also be willing to hear offers from clubs for around £40 million. Laporte's departure could open up space for the Cityzens to make an attempt to sign Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig in the summer.
The Croatian defender has garnered interest from a number of clubs and also has an asking price of over £100 million according to reports.
] #ManCity are willing to sell Aymeric Laporte for a reduced fee of £40m this summer providing they can secure a top-level replacement.
[🚨🌗] #ManCity are willing to sell Aymeric Laporte for a reduced fee of £40m this summer providing they can secure a top-level replacement.
[@footyinsider247] https://t.co/JqZLqSOTHF
Guardiola is looking to refresh his squad, which saw the likes of Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Gabriel Jesus leave the Etihad last summer. Joao Cancelo also departed the club to join Bayern Munich on loan in January.
Hence, the Spanish manager would be open to selling Laporte in the summer. The centre-back joined Manchester City from Athletic Bilbao in 2018 and has since made 170 appearances. The 28-year-old has also contributed 12 goals and four assists.
Hasan Salihamidzic on Manchester City loanee Joao Cancelo
One of the stories of Manchester City's recent January transfer window was their decision to let left-back Joao Cancelo leave on loan. The Portuguese started his first four games for the Bavarians, but has since fallen down the pecking order.
🚨 João Cancelo is starting to get frustrated by his situation at Bayern Munich.
He is already unhappy with his playing time. 👀
(Source: @SkySportDE) https://t.co/QECNMzeO8t
Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has shared some insight into Cancelo's lack of minutes. The Portuguese fullback came on in the 86th minute of the Bavarians' 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.
Speaking after the clash on March 8, Salihamidzic stated:
"Joao hasn't been training and playing the way we envisaged lately. We're in regular communication with him. I understand how he feels, but he is an excellent player who will become important to us in the future."
Cancelo will hope to find his way back into the first team soon. The Bavarians have a buy option of €70 million on the full-back, but currently, it seems unlikely that they will trigger it in the summer.