Considerable spend expected in defence for Manchester City as Aston Villa and Tottenham approach for centre-back

Manchester City are expected to spend ‘considerably’ in defence this summer, as Aymeric Laporte seeks a move away from the Etihad Stadium.

The treble winners are looking to strengthen their squad this summer following the historic successes of the last campaign, with club officials actively exploring the market as they look to bolster options in defence, with Laporte reportedly wanting a move.

The Spanish international is widely understood to have become unhappy with playing time under Pep Guardiola last season, as the defender was cast aside largely following the arrival of Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund.

Under contract until the summer of 2025, Aymeric Laporte has time to think about his Etihad Stadium future, but the Spaniard seems to have his heart set on a move away, with a return to Spain being the most favoured option.

Despite Aymeric Laporte’s discontentment with playing time, the versatile central defender is carefully assessing his options, having reportedly rejected two offers from other Premier League clubs.

Aston Villa and Tottenham both approached Laporte about the proposition of joining in sensational transfers this summer – two offers which were swiftly rejected by the Spaniard.

Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News confirmed that Manchester City are expected to spend ‘considerably’ to cover for the expected departure of Laporte.

With Aymeric Laporte’s exit seemingly inevitable this summer, Manchester City are forced to look towards the market to find a replacement, with one name standing out as a prominent possibility for the blues.

RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol has emerged as the most likely candidate to replace Laporte, with the Croatian defender keen on a move to Manchester.

As reported by Fabrizio Romano, personal terms between the Premier League champions and the player have not been an issue and were agreed on Saturday, as Manchester City and Leipzig now look to find an agreement on the value of the defender.

Gvardiol had a mightily impressive FIFA World Cup campaign in Qatar last winter, whilst also shining for his club in the Bundesliga this season, hence the interest from Manchester City and monstrous price tag slapped on by Leipzig.

The German side are reportedly looking for no less than €100 million, in a deal which would make Josko Gvardiol the most expensive defender of all time.

After completing their first bit of business of the summer with the arrival of Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea, Manchester City remain in the market to strengthen their squad with some more expected departures this summer.

Barcelona confirmed the signing of Ilkay Gundogan on Monday morning, in a significant blow for City. With the futures of Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez still up in the air, Manchester City are expected to be busy this summer in finding replacements if necessary.