In a recent interview with Transfer Tavern, former England defender Steve Howey has backed Manchester City to cash in on Aymeric Laporte. Howey said,
“They will be looking in the region of £65-70 million for him and I think if they can get that for him, then it will be good business.
“I think if they can get more money than they paid for Laporte, then I think it’s good business and they could probably get another couple of centre backs to have in the squad.”
Laporte’s Lack Of Game Time At Manchester Last Season
Laporte struggled to earn regular first-team starts under Pep Guardiola’s stewardship last season as he often found himself behind Ruben Dias and John Stones in the Etihad Stadium pecking order. The Agen-born sensation has made 27 appearances for Man City in the previous campaign, netting two goals and picking up five yellow cards in the process across various competitions.
The Spanish defensive ace deserves a pat on the back for averaging 0.8 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 1.9 clearances per game in the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. He has even distributed possession relatively well after completing 91.7% of his attempted passes in both those competitions (stats via whoscored).
Should Man City Let Laporte Go This Summer?
Laporte can time his challenges well and has a knack for winning the ball back for his team on the defensive end of the pitch. He has excellent defensive awareness and can recover well to clear his lines when in danger of being exposed at the back.
The one-time Spain international is a tidy passer of the ball and can use his strong 1.89m frame to dominate the aerial battles with the opposition. However, the lack of game time recently has hampered his career at Man City, so Laporte could be tempted with the idea of leaving the Premier League champions during this summer transfer period in order to earn more playing minutes in the coming seasons.
Pep Guardiola has currently got Ruben Dias, John Stones and Nathan Ake in his central defensive department. Hence, it makes sense for the Man City manager to let Laporte leave if he can recoup a big fee for him and bring in a suitable replacement.
Laporte is a highly talented centre-half, so it is only fair to the player if Guardiola cuts him loose this summer so that both parties can move on in search of greener pastures in the years to come.
