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Paris Saint-Germain 'join race for Manchester City's Aymeric Laporte'

PSG 'join race for Man City's Aymeric Laporte'
© Reuters
Paris Saint-Germain reportedly join Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign out-of-favour Manchester City centre-back Aymeric Laporte.

Paris Saint-Germain have allegedly joined the race to sign Manchester City centre-back Aymeric Laporte this summer.

The Spain international has slowly slipped down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola, making a mere six Premier League starts in the current campaign.

Injuries have not helped Laporte, but Manuel Akanji quickly established himself as a regular starter for the club upon his arrival from Borussia Dortmund, and Guardiola has a wealth of other centre-backs available to him.

All of Ruben Dias, John Stones and Nathan Ake - who has been predominantly used as a left-back recently - can fill in at the heart of the backline, restricting Laporte's opportunities for starts further.

March was a particularly frustrating month for Laporte, who was an unused substitute on three occasions, and his only start came in a 6-0 FA Cup thumping of Burnley.

Manchester City's Aymeric Laporte celebrates scoring their fifth goal on December 26, 2021© Reuters

The 28-year-old's contract with the Premier League champions runs out in the summer of 2025, and he is said to have a concrete possibility of leaving the club amid his lack of game time.

Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur are both said to be keeping a close eye on developments, and according to Football Insider, PSG have now expressed an interest too.

With City supposedly reluctant to do business with a fellow Premier League rival over Laporte, the French champions are already at an advantage over fellow suitors Tottenham.

Laporte is not expected to be short of offers if he does decide to end his time in Manchester, where he has spent the last five years since joining in a £57.2m deal from Athletic Bilbao in 2018.

The Spain international - who has not extended his Man City deal since 2019 - has 12 goals and four assists under his belt from 171 outings for Man City across all competitions during a trophy-laden five years.

Manchester City's Aymeric Laporte receives medical attention on May 11, 2022© Reuters

Laporte has formed part of four Premier League-winning teams at the Etihad Stadium, as well as clinching four EFL Cup crowns, one FA Cup and two Community Shields under Guardiola.

The former France youth international was named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2018-19, but cutting his £120k-a-week wage from the books could open up space for Man City to bring in a new centre-back this summer.

Guardiola's side are thought to be one of several teams tracking RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol, who has announced his desire to play in the Premier League one day.

Gvardiol's Croatian compatriot Luka Vuskovic is also said to have been the subject of an opening bid from Man City, but the 2007-born Hajduk Split centre-back would likely link up with the club's academy teams or be sent out on loan straight away.

PSG are on the verge of tying Marquinhos down to a new contract, but Sergio Ramos's future remains uncertain, with the 37-year-old out of contract in June.

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Manchester City's Aymeric Laporte pictured on February 12, 2023
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5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
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