Man City star says no to Tottenham as he picks his preferred transfer; two replacements eyed

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Football365

·25 June 2023

Man City star says no to Tottenham as he picks his preferred transfer; two replacements eyed

According to reports, Man City and Spain star Aymeric Laporte has ‘rejected’ advances from Tottenham Hotspur as he ‘wants a move’ back to Spain.

The Premier League side paid around £57m to sign Laporte from Athletic Bilbao in January 2018. He has played 179 times for City over the past five and a half seasons.

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Laporte has proven to be an excellent signing for Man City but he slipped down the pecking order during the 2022/23 campaign. He only started 11 times in the Premier League.

His lack of game time has fuelled reports linking him with a move away from Man City, but Football Insider are reporting that he has ‘rejected a summer move to Tottenham’.

Spurs ‘sounded out the possibility of signing him’ but he swiftly made it clear that he has ‘no interest’ in joining the London outfit. They have subsequently ‘turned their attention to alternative targets’.

If Laporte is to leave Man City this summer, a different report from Football Insider claims he is ‘keen to return to Spain’ and he also wants to carry on playing in the Champions League.

Laporte could potentially follow Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona. It was claimed earlier this week that his move to the Spanish giants is now ‘99%’ complete.

Pep Guardiola is already planning for life without Laporte, with Football Insider reporting that Napoli’s Kim Min-jae and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol are potential candidates to replace the Spain international.

‘Pep Guardiola’s side are monitoring the situation of Napoli star Kim Min-jae and could make a late move for his signature. ‘The South Korean had been the subject of very strong interest from Man United – but they now look set to pull out of the race. I’m told Bayern Munich remain in pole position to get a deal done – with Kim’s £50million release clause set to become active in July. ‘The 26-year-old has established himself as one of Europe’s leading centre-backs with his performances in Napoli’s title-winning campaign. ‘Despite their interest in Kim, Man City’s top centre-back target remains Josko Gvardiol. I’m told Kim is being sounded out as a potential backup to the RB Leipzig star – with his price tag thought to be a lot lower than that of Gvardiol. ‘Sources say Guardiola is very keen to strengthen at centre-back despite winning a historic treble last term.’