Spanish newspaper AS report Athletic Club Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde has asked the club to make an effort to sign Aymeric Laporte. The idea is to bring the defender back to the Basque side, where he played before his big money move to Manchester City, so he can raise their level for the Champions League.
Along with Athletic, Marseille, Inter Milan, Aston Villa and Arsenal have all reached out with some sort of contact to sign the player.
Laporte left Manchester City in August 2023 for Al-Nassr, where AS say he earns €25m a year and has a season left on his contract. Al-Nassr would want some sort of transfer fee, and it’s thought to be beyond the finances at Athletic.
There’s not much said about Aston Villa, Arsenal or the other clubs, and all would have to tempt Laporte away from Saudi Arabia and his fortunes there. One factor could be the World Cup and his chances of making the Spain squad for the tournament.
