Real Madrid: Is Aymeric Laporte a possible transfer target?

Real Madrid would have to make some changes to their defensive squadron, with the legendary Sergio Ramos leaving the club after 16 incredible years, and with Raphael Varane being heavily linked with a move away from Real Madrid.

El Confidencial reports that the Frenchman has communicated his decision to leave the club this summer, and hasn’t accepted the renewal offer pushed forward by the club. For Ramos, the club has Nacho and David Alaba as possible options to replace the captain but compared to the level Ramos has shown all these years, they might be a downgrade from the Andalusian with all due respect to them.

Varane can form a pair with Eder Militao if he stays, and he can form a great combination with the Brazilian, who has proven that he can be a starter for the club. But if Varane decides to leave, his departure will make the situation much worse. With another established centre-back possibly leaving the club, Real Madrid would have to look for solutions in the transfer market.

El Confidencial also reports that the club has three possible replacements: Pau Torres of Villarreal, Jules Kounde of Sevilla, and Aymeric Laporte of Manchester City. The two centre-backs belonging to LaLiga clubs have been linked to Real Madrid throughout the season, but the Manchester City player’s name has been linked to the club more frequently in the last 30 days or so.

El Confidencial report that the Spanish international wants to return to Spain, and specifically to Madrid, irrespective of Real or Atletico. But he has also been linked to Barcelona, with Catalan sources citing the same. It is to be seen which club will get his signature, but his departure from the Manchester-based club looks inevitable.

Should Real Madrid go all-out for Aymeric Laporte?

Laporte is a fantastic centre-back, and it would definitely make sense if such a quality centre-half is on the transfer targets list of Real Madrid. He is a great ball-playing defender, with the former Bilbao player having the ability to make pinpoint long passes with both his feet. According to WhoScored, he completes an average of 3.2 long passes per 90 mins, while completing a total of 89.5 passes per 90 minutes.

He isn’t a physically imposing centre-back and tackling isn’t his greatest strength. But he is a highly intelligent defender and his positional sense is great. He knows how to be first to the ball or prevent the ball from reaching the attacker’s feet while being the second strongest or second fastest in a duel.

Overall, he is a great defender and he could be a great calming presence in the backline. He has recently switched to the Spanish international team, which could be a factor Real Madrid will keep an eye on. He could be a great option for Real Madrid, but the club needs to keep a few points in mind before taking the next step.

He is an injury-prone player, and his injury record at Manchester City has been a long one. He has missed a total of 46 games since his move to the Premier League side and suffered a severe knee injury in 2019 which did have an impact on his playing style. He is 27 now and is older than the other two options of Pau Torres and Jules Kounde. His age being 27 doesn’t mean that he should be ruled out, but when compared to other long-term options he is definitely at a disadvantage.

He can play both as an RCB and LCB, but he is primarily a left-sided centre-back, a position in which he might still have some competition from Nacho and Alaba. It will be interesting to see if Real Madrid will step up their pursuit of Laporte and go for him, especially when the options are as good as him while being younger. It will be a huge decision for the club to make.

At the moment his market value is around 45 million euros, which is lower compared to the other options. And the price can be lowered, with the player wanting to move away and Manchester City looking to overhaul their squad once again after failing to win the Champions League. He will be a great fit for Real Madrid, but we can’t be really sure if he can be the best fit at the club.