
Arsenal
Premier League • England
Arsenal join Tottenham, Aston Villa in battle for Man City star Guardiola wants to sell this summer

Exit-linked Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte
Arsenal have joined Tottenham and Aston Villa in the race for Manchester City centre-back Aymeric Laporte, according to reports.
The Spain international looks likely to leave the Etihad this summer with Pep Guardiola looking to sign a new defender, and he has caught the attention of several top clubs.
Indeed, Barcelona have also registered an interest in Laporte. But, Arsenal could now potentially beat the competition to the 29-year-old’s signature.
Since joining Man City in 2018, Laporte has made 179 appearances across all competitions.
During that time, he has helped his team to five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups and one Champions League win.
But, he looks set to end his Man City career after a treble-winning campaign last term. This is because Guardiola is looking to add a new centre-back to his squad this summer.
RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol is the manager’s main target. He is widely considered to be one of the best young defenders in Europe and the Cityzen’s are reportedly willing to pay a record-breaking sum for him.
Therefore, Laporte is expected to be sold to make room for his arrival this summer. And, as mentioned, there is certainly no shortage of interest in him.
Arsenal join race for Laporte
Now, according to Mundo Deportivo, Arsenal are ‘showing an interest in Laporte’ and ‘could make a move in the next couple of weeks,’
Last season, the centre-back pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes was key to the Gunners’ success. But, when Saliba picked up an injury towards the end of the campaign, their results suffered.
As a result, Mikel Arteta is keen to add at least one quality defender to his squad. For instance, Arsenal are close to finalising a deal for Jurrien Timber.
But, with Laporte available on the market, they may not be able to resist a bid for the Man City star. As previously reported by TEAMtalk, both Tottenham and Aston Villa are interested in signing the Spaniard, too.
Therefore, we could potentially see a bidding war take place for the defender this summer.
It isn’t clear how much Man City will demand for Laporte. Transfermarkt value him at approximately £25m, though, so it’s likely Arsenal would have to make a bid in that region to have any chance of singing him.
So, it will be interesting to see if Arsenal do make an opening offer for Laporte in the near future. If they don’t, Tottenham and Aston Villa could swoop in for his signature.