Arsenal and Aston Villa have expressed interest in signing former Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte from Al Nassr, according to reports in Spain.
Laporte was a mainstay in Pep Guardiola’s Man City team for half a decade, making 180 appearances for the Etihad club and lifting five Premier League trophies.
The Spain international completed a £23.6m move to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr two years ago in a summer which saw several high-profile players move to the country.
Laporte was linked with a return to Europe last summer and similar speculation looks set to continue during this summer’s transfer window.
Spanish outlet AS say Laporte’s former club Athletic Bilbao are showing serious interest in the 31-year-old, who has one year left on his lucrative contract with Al Nassr.
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It was at Bilbao that Laporte established himself as a top defender and caught the eye of Man City, who brought him to the Premier League in 2018 for £57m.
It is claimed Athletic Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde has asked the club to seal a return for Laporte but that the finances involved are beyond the La Liga club.
Laporte would have to agree to take a significant pay-cut to return to Europe, while Al Nassr will insist on recouping most of the cash they spent on the defender 24 months ago, putting his price tag at around £20m.
While the numbers involved make a move to Bilbao unlikely, the Spanish side will try to play on Laporte’s ties to the club to welcome him back this summer.
AS say Athletic Bilbao, who finished fourth in La Liga last season and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, are not the only European club interested in Laporte.
Premier League rivals Arsenal and Aston Villa have both registered interest along with French outfit Marseille and Italian giants Inter Milan and Napoli.
Aymeric Laporte, Man City honours
Premier League – 5
EFL Cup – 3
FA Cup – 2
Champions League – 1
Super Cup – 1
PFA Team of the Year – 1
Arsenal’s focus at the start of the summer transfer window has been on a striker – talks have been held with Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko – and a midfielder – Martin Zubimendi is closing in on a £55m move.
But talk of multiple defenders leaving, including Kieran Tierney, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior, means Mikel Arteta may also look for defensive reinforcements.
Arsenal have also been contacted over a deal for Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori but reportedly rejected the transfer approach.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, have also welcomed one new defender to Villa Park this summer, young Turkey star Yasin Ozcan joining Unai Emery’s squad.
‘Many European players dissatisfied in Saudi’
Speaking during his first season in the Saudi Pro League, Laporte suggested several players who had made the switch were unhappy.
‘They haven’t made it easy for us,’ Laporte told AS. ‘In fact, there are many players that are dissatisfied.
‘They do look after us but not enough for my liking. That is to say, in Europe they pay you a good salary, but they take better care of you.
‘I speak from my own experience and I don’t know what the experience of others is like.
‘For my part, what I have seen is that they try to bring you in, but then there is the day-to-day life and that is different.’
Al Nassr, who also boast all-time great Cristiano Ronaldo, endured a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, failing to win any silverware and finishing third in the Saudi Pro League.
As well as picking up a number of domestic trophies, Laporte also helped Spain win Euro 2024 last summer, starting the final as Luis de la Fuente’s side beat England.
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