Is Laporte the answer?

Manchester City want to sign Athletic Bilbao’s Aymeric Laporte this summer, according to Sky sources. The French defender looks a good fit for Pep Guardiola’s Etihad Stadium revolution, writes Nick Wright.

Pep Guardiola counts Argentine manager Marcelo Bielsa as one of his biggest influences so perhaps it is not surprising that he shares his idol’s admiration for Aymeric Laporte. The French centre-back was schooled by Bielsa as a teenager at Athletic Bilbao, and Guardiola is eager to continue his education at Manchester City next season.

Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal showed why the incoming manager has identified central defence as City’s most pressing area in need of attention. This season they have conceded more Premier League goals (40) than in any of the previous five, with Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala struggling to meet expectations and Vincent Kompany repeatedly falling victim to injuries.

Major changes are required, and while Everton’s John Stones is among the names to have been talked up, Laporte appears to be the priority for Guardiola. City’s sporting director Txiki Bergiristain has already flown to Bilbao to discuss the deal with Athletic, and reports in Spain suggest City are ready and willing to pay his £39m buy-out clause.

It is a huge sum for a 21-year-old still recovering from a broken leg suffered playing for France’s U21s in March, but the feeling in Spain is that he is worth the investment. Laporte has developed a burgeoning reputation over the course of four seasons in Athletic’s first team and has already amassed over 100 La Liga appearances despite his tender age.

Basque journalist Endika Río has followed his progress from the start. “He is a central defender with the profile that Pep Guardiola likes,” he tells Sky Sports. “He’s strong, tall and powerful but what characterises him most is playing out from the back. He makes the central midfielders’ jobs easier. He has good distribution and …

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