Aston Villa could top their recent signing of Youri Tielemans on a free transfer from Leicester City by acquiring Manchester City star Aymeric Laporte, according to journalist Dean Jones.
What's the latest transfer news involving Youri Tielemans and Aymeric Laporte?
Last week, BBC Sport confirmed that Tielemans will complete a move to Aston Villa on July 1st on a free transfer once his Leicester City contract officially expires.
Manchester United, Roma and Arsenal were all keen on enticing the Belgium international elsewhere; however, he will now ply his trade at Villa Park next term and will have Europa Conference League football to look forward to in the West Midlands.
90min also claim that Aston Villa have held talks with Manchester City defender Laporte and Villarreal stopper Pau Torres as Unai Emery kicks his transfer proactivity up a notch ahead of the coming season.
The report states that Laporte has grown frustrated by his lack of first-team minutes at the Citizens and Aston Villa have emerged as a possible destination for the Spaniard to gain regular time on the pitch.
Capology understand that Laporte earns around £120,000 per week at the Etihad Stadium on a contract that runs until the summer of 2025.
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones is of the opinion that Laporte would be an even better but of business than bringing Tielemans to Villa Park and signalled that the 29-year-old would improve Emery's side.
Jones told FFC: "I definitely think Laporte could be an even better signing than Tielemans. I mean, he would definitely improve this team immediately and for Emery himself, just the sort of mentality that you have coming into his team just continues to rise."
Would Aymeric Laporte be a good signing for Aston Villa?
When you factor in his extensive experience at the top level and calm presence in the backline, Laporte could be an ideal signing for Aston Villa as they enter into continental football in 2023/24.
All in, Laporte amassed 24 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City during 2022/23, registering one assist, as per Transfermarkt.
Laporte is one of the best examples you'll find of a ball-playing defender around Europe, which is reflected in the fact he maintained a pass success rate of 93.1% throughout the campaign, according to WhoScored.
FBRef also take into account that Laporte has excelled in comparison to his positional peers in Europe's top five divisions in the art of progressive carries, averaging around 2.59 per fixture in the last 365 days, putting him in the first percentile for this metric.
Looking ahead, Aston Villa should do everything in their power to try and tempt Laporte to Villa Park as boss Emery looks to strengthen ahead of what will be an exciting forthcoming season for everyone connected with the club.
