Manchester City centre-back Aymeric Laporte is reportedly being courted by Serie A giants Juventus.
As per Calciomercato, Juventus are in the market for a centre-back and have identified Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte as a potential signing. The Spanish international successfully defended the Premier League title with the Cityzens and still has over three years left on his contract with them.
Laporte moved to Manchester in the January transfer window of 2018 from Athletic Club and has been a cornerstone in the success that the club have achieved since. Following Ruben Dias’ arrival in 2020, Laporte formed a successful partnership with the Portuguese international, although there have been times when he has been overlooked for John Stones.
The recently-concluded season saw the Spain international make 46 appearances across competitions, with both Dias and Stones spending some time on the treatment table. With the FIFA World Cup approaching, Laporte would definitely want to be a first-choice at his club to stay in contention for a spot on the Spain side for the tournament.
Juventus are ready to provide him with a way out as they search for Giorgio Chiellini’s replacements. The legendary Italian defender will depart after 17 glorious years at the club, where he won nine Serie A titles.
Though Chiellini still has a year remaining on his contract with Juventus, he recently confirmed that he would leave this summer. His departure will leave Juventus with a big shoe to fill.
“We had these 10 magnificent years, it is up to the others to continue now,” he told Sport Mediaset after Juventus’ 4-2 defeat to Inter in the Coppa Italia final. “I did everything I could, I hope that I left something.
“It is my choice 100 percent, I am happy to leave at such a high level, because for many years I have said I didn’t want to finish struggling and not being able to play at my level. I gave it my all, soon I will be the biggest Juventus fan from the outside. After so many years within this club, you cannot shake it off.”
Allegri is keen on replacing Chiellini with a world-class defender, who wouldn’t need time to reach his potential. He has thus made Laporte one of his primary targets and the Serie A giants have also initiated talks with Manchester City over a summer move.
The Turin giants have also been linked with a move for Arsenal’s Gabriel, while they were also reported to be showing interest in Antonio Rudiger, who is joining Real Madrid. While Laporte might have popped up as a target for Juventus, prying him away from Manchester City will not be an easy task.
