Who is Aymeric Laporte and why do Manchester City want the Athletic Bilbao defender?
It’s relatively rare that a player rejects an approach from a club only to find that they are still interested in him two years later. That seems to be exactly what has happened with Aymeric Laporte and Manchester City, however. Back in the summer of 2016 City were reportedly ready to stump up £39m for the young defender, but rather than agree to the move Laporte decided to sign a new contract with Athletic Bilbao.
Perhaps influenced by the fact that he was recovering from a serious injury at the time – a broken leg and dislocated ankle sustained in a game with France’s Under-21s – Laporte opted to remain in La Liga where steady rehabilitation, a smooth reintroduction to the team and future game time were guaranteed.
Now 23 years of age, Laporte is still much admired by Pep Guardiola. Though his release clause is now somewhere around £60m, Manchester City are apparently willing to meet it. Having made 171 senior appearances for Athletic Bilbao in all competitions, the Frenchman is rated as one of the best centre-backs under the age of 25 in Europe. So why is Guardiola keen to spend so much money on another defender, having already spent £50m on John Stones, £50m on Kyle Walker, £52m on Benjamin Mendy and £26.5m on Danilo in recent seasons?
Laporte’s talents
Despite that monstrous outlay, Guardiola has reaped the rewards of spending big on defenders this term. While Mendy has spent several months on the sidelines with injury, Kyle Walker and John Stones have both been fantastic while Danilo has proved a capable deputy. City have stormed to the top of the table as much on the merits of their defence as their attack, having conceded only 18 goals this campaign – 11 less than at the same stage last season.
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Laporte fits the profile of a Guardiola central defender in that he is technically gifted, good on the ball and able to orchestrate the game from defence. At 6’3 he is also a formidable aerial presence, having ironed out some early struggles with high balls and defensive headers. Renowned for his reading of the game, Laporte is currently seventh in La Liga for interceptions this season with a total of 33. His discipline is generally good, making him a calming presence in the centre of Bilbao’s back four.
Where to play him?
Though City have plenty of defensive options at the moment – there are few areas of their lavishly assembled squad which could be termed ‘lacking’ in the traditional sense – the Premier League champions elect could still do with strengthening at centre-back. With Vincent Kompany struggling to shake off his injury problems and Eliaquim Mangala still failing to convince, Laporte would have an excellent chance of working his way into contention.
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A left-sided central defender, his arrival could leave Nicolas Otamendi sweating as well as pushing those players down the pecking order. Guardiola may well envision Laporte lining up alongside John Stones, with the two incredibly talented youngsters forming a partnership which could serve Manchester City well for years to come.
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When he was first scouted by Athletic Bilbao it was questioned whether Laporte could really sign for the club, given their policy of only recruiting Basque footballers and his loose connection to the Basque Country. Growing up in Agen in southwestern France, Laporte only qualified to play for Bilbao through Basque great grandparents. Were he open to a move to Manchester there would be no such potential barriers. Should Guardiola make another approach for him this summer, two years after he first tried to sign him, Laporte would surely find it hard to turn down a longstanding admirer again.
