Before a deadline-day deal saw Manuel Akanji switch from Borussia Dortmund to City, the Premier League champions were rumoured to be interested in the 21-year-old Croatian defender last summer.
After winning their third consecutive league title on Sunday, City is still on track to complete a historic treble this season. This is in front of their upcoming FA Cup and Champions League finals against Manchester United and Inter.
In recent months, there have been concerns over Aymeric Laporte’s long-term future in England due to the international player from Spain slipping down Guardiola’s priority list.
Laporte has shown signs of wanting out of the Blues in the summer, frequently sitting on the bench in crucial league and cup matches throughout the second half of the current season.
The 28-year-old joined Manchester City for £57 million in the middle of their Premier League-winning 2017–18 season, which set a new record by earning 100 points.
Laporte has spent the most bulk of his time in Manchester as a first-team regular, but the performance of players like John Stones, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, and Nathan Ake in the latter part of the season has kept the Spaniard out of the lineup.
In fact, the France-born centre back was seen crying during Manchester City’s championship celebrations after their 1-0 victory over Chelsea over the weekend, which may indicate Laporte’s departure is imminent.
Although RB Leipzig are prepared to consider offers for Josko Gvardiol in the upcoming transfer window that surpass €100 million, according to BILD and quoted by Sport Witness, Manchester City may already have a replacement in mind for Laporte.
Although the German team has insisted that their star defender is not for sale, RB Leipzig’s internal financial issues mean the team is willing to sell Gvardiol to raise money.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the futures of Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan at the Etihad Stadium, it is still doubtful that Manchester City would invest significantly on the defence this summer. Instead, midfield is expected to be the key position that will see strengthening.
