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Manchester City are ready to trigger the release clause of Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte, report talkSPORT.
They cite reports emanating from Spanish media outlet, Cadena Sur, that the Premier League leaders may be set to move for the French under-21 international before the transfer window closes next week.
Laporte currently has a £58 million buy-out clause in his contract, but with this set to increase to closer to £68 million in the summer, City are ready to make their move now before his price goes up.
The central defender had previously been linked with a move to Barcelona, but the Catalans instead signed the Brazilian Yerry Mina from Palmeiras instead, which gives City the chance to sign a player who has been impressive for the Basque club this year. Manager Pep Guardiola is keen to add defensive cover to his squad this window, and has also been linked with Jonny Evans of West Brom and Aaron Martin of Espanyol.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.