Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte ‘is on Barcelona’s radar’

Barcelona are reportedly eyeing up a move for Manchester City centre back Aymeric Laporte.

City manager Pep Guardiola is in the habit of rotating his back four and the 27-year-old has had to play second fiddle to John Stones in spells at the Etihad.

Laporte appears to have nailed down his place alongside Ruben Dias this season but Barcelona are circling and they are keen to reunite him with former City defender Eric Garcia, according to The Sun.

Barcelona are reportedly keen to reunite Aymeric Laporte (L) and Eric Garcia (R) at the club

The report claims that Barcelona aim to get their hands on more money to be able to launch a bid in the summer.

Laporte’s contract at City does not expire until the summer of 2025 and the club would reportedly demand at least the £57m they spent to take him from Athletic Bilbao three years ago. 

The Catalan giants find themselves in a financial mess after racking up over £1billion of debt, partly due to the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Laporte has had to play second fiddle to John Stones in spells following his arrival in 2018

The LaLiga outfit managed to sign City forward Ferran Torres for £55m this week as they needed to bolster their attack following Sergio Aguero’s retirement.

They were able to bring him in thanks to a £508m loan they secured from Goldman Sachs. 

Barca will have to pay off the extortionate fee over 35 years, with a five-year grace period to help restructure their finances.

Garcia re-signed for the club on a free transfer last summer and he has made 17 appearances for his boyhood side this season. 

Barcelona have completed the £55million signing of Ferran Torres from Manchester City