Tottenham Hotspur join Barcelona in race for Manchester City's Aymeric Laporte?

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly joined Barcelona in the race to sign Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte this summer.

The 28-year-old is believed to be keen to depart the Etihad Stadium after falling down the pecking order under manager Pep Guardiola this season.

After initially struggling with injury at the start of the campaign, Laporte has since featured just 16 times for City across all competitions, including only six starts in the Premier League.

The Spain international is under contract at the Etihad until June 2025, but the defender allegedly has a 'concrete possibility' of leaving the Citizens this summer.

La Liga leaders Barcelona are said to be keeping tabs on Laporte's situation, while Real Madrid, Juventus and Roma have also been credited with an interest in the former Athletic Bilbao man.

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According to FootballTransfer collaborator Steve Kay, Tottenham are the latest club to join the race for Laporte's signature and have lodged an enquiry for the defender.

Kay also claims that Spurs have enquired about the availability of Villarreal's Pau Torres, and hold an interest in Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, who is valued at £65m by the Eagles.

It is understood that Tottenham are on the lookout for central defensive reinforcements this summer amid uncertainty over the futures of a number of current first-team players.

A recent report claims that the North Londoners have decided against signing Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet on a permanent basis this summer and the Frenchman is set to return to Camp Nou at the end of the season.

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Davinson Sanchez is another centre-back who faces an uncertain future at Spurs after falling down the pecking order under Antonio Conte, starting just 10 games across all competitions, while Japhet Tanganga has also been a fringe player under the Italian boss this term.

Tottenham's chances of luring four-time Premier League winner Laporte to North London would presumably be boosted should they qualify for next season's Champions League, with Conte's men currently sitting fourth in the top-flight table with 10 games remaining.

Should Laporte, who is believed to be valued by Man City in the region of €40m (£35.6m), leave the Etihad this summer, the Citizens will reportedly look to step up their pursuit of RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, who has been identified as one of their primary targets.

The Citizens will likely face stern competition for the highly-rated 21-year-old, though, as the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea are also looking to lure the Croatian away from the Bundesliga.