Barcelona, Real Madrid monitoring Man City defender’s situation amid uncertain future

A recent report from Foot Mercato (h/t Diario SPORT) has offered a comprehensive update on Manchester City’s plans in the defensive unit for next season, suggesting that the Premier League giants are preparing a major overhaul.

As part of the change, they are planning to sign Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig. And this could lead to the exit of Aymeric Laporte, as the club are open to offers for the Spanish international.

This has led alerted several clubs across Europe, including Barcelona. The Catalans had been linked with a move for Laporte in the past and are currently monitoring the situation evolving around the former Athletic Club centre-back.

Laporte, who had joined Man City for a fee of €65 million in 2018, was an indispensable figure in the club’s defensive line not too long ago. But the centre-back has since fallen behind the likes of Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake in the pecking order.

He has mustered only seven league appearances in the ongoing Premier League campaign, and with Man City in talks to sign Real Madrid target Gvardiol, his role in the team could dwindle further next season.

Barcelona, therefore, have been alerted to the situation, along with their arch-rivals Real Madrid. It appears both the clubs sense an opportunity to snap up the defender on a cut-price deal, especially with his contract expiring in 2025.

However, Barça are not expected to enter a bidding war, primarily because of Inigo Martinez as a prime alternative. The Athletic Club defender is set to become a free agent in the summer and offers more experience at the highest level of football, essentially making him a more appealing option for Barça side that are dealing with financial constraints.