Aymeric Laporte sends cryptic Instagram post hinting at imminent Manchester City exit

Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte has hinted at a possible Etihad Stadium exit this summer with a cryptic upload to his Instagram story.

The Spain international has seen his game time severely restricted this season under Pep Guardiola, with injuries hampering the start to the ongoing campaign before falling out of favour since the return of club football after the World Cup.

Aymeric Laporte has registered just 16 appearances across all competitions so far this season, totalling 1,309 minutes of game-time, with no sign of any increase in involvement during the upcoming fixtures.

The 28 year-old’s game-time puts him well down the ranking in terms of the most-involved players at the Etihad Stadium, having featured in less matches than the likes of Sergio Gomez, Cole Palmer, and Rico Lewis.

That lack of consistent game-time has thrown his Etihad Stadium future into doubt, with the feeling in some quarters being that he could be among the names that Manchester City would be open to selling should the right offer arrive this summer.

In amongst that uncertainty, Aymeric Laporte has now thrown more doubt over his own future with a cryptic upload to his Instagram story on Wednesday afternoon. The City centre-back is pictured in his car with the caption, “After the rain, a rainbow; after a storm, the calm; and after an end, a new beginning.”

One club that have been linked with some level of interest in the services of Aymeric Laporte is Serie A giants Juventus – who are understood to be in the market for a left-footed central defender this summer.

As will be the case for the Turin-based club, finances available will have a major say in whether Laporte does indeed make his way through the Manchester City exit door, with the troubled FC Barcelona also among his admirers.

As for City and the possibility of signing a replacement for Laporte, Etihad Stadium officials hold a strong admiration for the talents of RB Leipzig and Croatia centre-back Josko Gvardiol – who is likely to command a fee north of £90 million in the coming months.