Manchester City star ready to join Juventus this month - Reports
Manchester City star Aymeric Laporte is reportedly keen to join Juventus this month.
Laporte was signed by City from Athletic Bilbao in January 2018 and made an instant impact at the English club. The former French defender has gone on to make 111 appearances in all competitions for the Premier League champions during his three-and-a-half-year stay at the Etihad.
But Laporte fell down the pecking order after the arrival of Ruben Dias last year and the resurgence of John Stones in defense. The 27-year-old defender has endured a difficult 12 months and is now keen to secure a move away from Manchester City.
Laporte's lack of game time under Pep Guardiola saw him struggle to make the French national team. Ahead of Euro 2020, the 27-year-old decided to switch his national allegiance, courtesy of his Spanish passport. He is now a starting XI center-back for La Roja.
With his situation at City unlikely to change, Laporte has reportedly expressed his desire to move to another club. Juventus are thought to be keen on signing the Spanish defender and a deal could be executed before the transfer window shuts on 31st August.
Manchester City need to sell Laporte to raise funds for Harry Kane transfer
Laporte is no longer a first-choice player at Manchester City. Pep Guardiola has other options in defense with Nathan Ake and Rodri as makeshift centre-backs. City would also like to sell their left-footed centre-back to raise funds for the transfer of Harry Kane.
Manchester City have been strongly linked with a move for the Tottenham Hotspur captain. Kane has been one of the world's finest strikers of late. He has scored 221 goals in 336 games for Spurs since making his first-team debut in the 2009-10 season.
City let go of Sergio Aguero after the culmination of the 2020-21 season and are now keen to add Kane to their squad. However, the England captain is unlikely to come on the cheap.
According to various reports, City will have to spend in excess of €150m (£127m) to land Harry Kane. Having already signed Jack Grealish for £100m, City will have to raise funds before they can sign Kane.
Hence, they might be open to the idea of selling Laporte this summer. The Spanish defender has another three years left on his contract and City will want to use that to extort a sizeable fee for Laporte.
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