Chelsea are "monitoring" Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte, with the Premier League champions set to hold out for £30m to part ways with the defender, according to transfer expert Rudy Galetti.
Are Chelsea signing a defender?
The Blues have a battle on their hands trying to keep Levi Colwill at Stamford Bridge, amid interest from Liverpool, and the defender is set to hold talks over his future with manager Mauricio Pochettino in the coming days.
If Colwill is unwilling to commit his future to the club, Pochettino may have an even greater need to bring in a new centre-back, and there have been reports that Real Madrid's Rafa Marin is one of the players being monitored for a potential summer move.
Chelsea are eager to sign Juventus' Gleison Bremer, having recently registered their interest in the Brazilian, who is set to cost around €60m (£51m), with Premier League rivals Manchester United also being named as potential suitors.
Meanwhile, Laporte has been linked with a move away from Man City for quite some time now, as he failed to hold down a regular place in the starting XI last season, making a total of just 12 appearances in the Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and Aston Villa have all been named as potential suitors for the Spaniard, so he is likely to have no shortage of offers to remain in England – while Chelsea are also in the race, according to Galetti.
The transfer expert has taken to Twitter to confirm the Blues are "monitoring" the 29-year-old, who has also emerged as a target for Serie A side Juventus.
Although his contract does not expire until 2025, the £120k-per-week defender could be allowed to leave this summer, with Man City asking for £30m to sanction his departure.
How good is Aymeric Laporte?
Despite not being able to break into Pep Guardiola's side often last season, the Spain international is still a top-quality player, as displayed by his passing ability, ranking in the 99th percentile for passes attempted per 90 over the past year (as per FBref).
Having averaged a pass completion rate of 92.7%, the France-born centre-back ranks in the 97th percentile, and he is also fantastic at driving the ball forward, as indicated by the fact he ranks in the 99th percentile for progressive carries.
Not only is he comfortable in possession of the ball, but the former Athletic Bilbao man has also previously been hailed as "the best left-central defender in the world" by Guardiola, partly due to his "mentality and character".
Although he has since lost his place in the Man City starting XI, the 6 foot 3 ace has proven himself in the Premier League over a number of years, making 120 appearances in the top flight, and averaging a 7.12 Sofascore match rating in the 2021/22 campaign.
Hailed as a "beast" by journalist Muhammad Butt, Laporte could be the perfect replacement for Colwill due to his fantastic ability with his left foot, though Pochettino will still be hoping to keep hold of the "astonishing" young centre-back.
