Aston Villa ready to join race for Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte?

Aston Villa have reportedly identified Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte as a potential transfer target.

Against the odds, Villa secured Europa Conference League football last season after finishing in seventh place in the Premier League table.

As a result, Unai Emery will be given the freedom to make additions to his first-team squad, helped by Monchi who has become president of football operations at Villa Park.

With continental qualification having been secured, the West Midlands outfit have a strong bargaining chip at their disposal as they look to compete with higher-profile clubs in the market.

However, their ambition and clout has already been shown by the signing of Youri Tielemans on a free transfer from Leicester City.

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Villa have now seemingly turned their attention to the defence with Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres - who has previously worked under Emery - said to be of interest to the club.

Nevertheless, according to Football Insider, Villa do not consider themselves out of the race for Laporte, who may be allowed to leave Man City this summer.

The 29-year-old was limited to just 14 starts in the Premier League and Champions League during 2022-23, with many of them coming during the closing weeks as Pep Guardiola rotated his players in different competitions.

At a time when the Spain international has two years left on his contract, City do not necessarily have to be in a rush to cash in on a player that cost £57m in 2018.

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That said, Laporte now finds himself down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium and the perception is that all parties are open to a transfer over the coming months.

Laporte is said to prefer a switch to a club competing in the Champions League, although it remains to be seen whether any interested parties will come forward with a fee that could tempt City into a deal.

Villa may be prepared to meet any valuation set by the top-flight champions and they allegedly have the edge over Tottenham Hotspur, who have already been turned down by Laporte.

Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Diego Carlos are all in line to compete for two central defensive roles next season with Calum Chambers regarded as no more than backup in that area and at right-back.