Manchester City are expecting to see Aymeric Laporte leave the club during the current summer transfer window.
Earlier this week, it was reported that club captain Ilkay Gundogan has agreed a deal to join Barcelona as a free agent once his contract at the Etihad Stadium expires at the end of the month.
With that in mind, it has now been claimed that another figure in Pep Guardiola’s squad has been placed in front of the exit door.
City expecting Laporte exit
According to a recent report from the Manchester Evening News, City are “expected to spend considerably in defence to cover for the expected departure of Aymeric Laporte.”
Back in the 2018 January transfer window, the Citizens spent a then-club-record-fee of £57m to sign the defender, who Guardiola has previously described as an “incredible” player, from Athletic Bilbao.
Since then, the 29-year-old has gone on to make 179 appearances for the club across all competitions, chipping in with 12 goals and winning five Premier League titles along the way.
City’s recent treble-winning season saw Laporte become a bit-part player for Guardiola’s side, as he started 20 of the 24 games he featured in across all competitions, starting just 11 Premier League matches.
This could be why the club are expecting him to leave this summer, presumably with the hope of joining a side where he’d be a regular starter.
While some City supporters may be disappointed by the prospect of seeing the Spaniard leave this summer, they could be excited by the other point made claiming that if Laporte were to depart, the club will look to spend significantly on a replacement.
