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What's the rumour?
As per reputed Spanish daily Marca, Manchester City have agreed personal terms with Athletic Bilbao's superstar centre-back, Aymeric Laporte. With City having reportedly shown a willingness to trigger the defender's €65 million (or £57 million) release clause this was the last thing remaining for the deal to go ahead this summer.
Marca are now confident that City will have their man by the start of next week and suspicions that the deal is all but done have been heightened by the fact that Betting has been suspended on the Laporte to City deal.
In case you didn't know
Manchester City and Pep Guardiola had been interested in the French-Basque defender in 2016 itself - when Laporte's release clause was just €50 million - but he'd turned down Txiki Begiristain and his negotiating team just as the negotiations seemed to be all but done. As mentioned in the Marca report, he had also recently praised Kepa Arizzabalaga for committing his future to Athletic by signing a new deal.
The heart of the matter
John Stones' mercurial showing after returning from a lengthy injury layoff means that Manchester City have a weak link in their well-oiled, almost impenetrable machine, and if there's one thing that we can say with reasonable assuredness about Pep Guardiola, it is that he doesn't sit on his haunches waiting for these shortcomings to correct themselves.
Rumour Reliability/ Probability
Rating: 9/10
The way this deal has been built up - right from 2016, may we add - leads us to believe this deal could happen sooner rather than later. Besides, a €65 million release clause is not going to deter the bean-counters at the Etihad Stadium, is it?
Video
Here's Laporte doing his thing for the Basque outfit
Lad can play!
Author's Take
Just 23, Aymeric Laporte has already made 222 appearances for the senior Athletic Bilbao team and has been a fixture at centre-back since Ernesto Valverde made him a regular starter in 2013. Fast, strong, and immensely capable on the ball, he'd be perfect for a Pep Guardiola outfit.
