The latest reports claim that Chelsea are interested in signing Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte. But just who the hell is he?
With the Premier League title virtually in the bag and the summer fast approaching, the transfer rumour mill is heating up. In the latest batch of reports, Chelsea have been linked with a new name: Aymeric Laporte. Who? Well, let’s find out.
Name: Aymeric Laporte
DOB: 27/05/94
Nationality: French
Position: Centre-back
Laporte made his senior debut for Athletic Bilbao in November 2012, having spent time in the club’s youth set-up. He would go on to make 17 competitive appearances for Athletic that season, establishing himself as one of the hottest young talents in the league.
The youngster has since taken the field at least 35 times in each following season. Laporte is now a regular in the Athletic starting line-up, sitting at the heart of one of the meanest defences in the league. Only four teams have conceded fewer goals in this La Liga campaign.
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At the age of 22, the Frenchman has many suitors. He has proven to be defensively sound, but he is also keen on developing the attacking side of his game. Speaking to FourFourTwo about the art of modern defending, Laporte emphasised how much time he spends on attacking.
"A big part of my game is to bring the ball out from the back. Defenders do this more than ever before. It’s all about arriving at perfection. I spend as much time in training and matches working on starting attacks as I do stopping them."
He is not exactly shy of hitting the net either. The defender scored five goals last season and has added two more this term. Although the return does not match that of Gary Cahill, his attitude indicates that he could be an even bigger threat in the years to come.
According to ESPNFC, Laporte’s buy-out clause currently stands at over £50 million, while it will rise by a few more in the 2018/19 season. Manchester City have been trailing the Frenchman, thus the Blues will likely need to pay a premium and put together an attractive package to pry him away from Pep Guardiola’s clutches.
However, he certainly seems like a future star. With Chelsea’s current defensive options either questionable or ageing, bringing in a man like Laporte could shore up the backline for the next decade. Should Kurt Zouma also be in Conte’s plans, the Blues may well end up with one of the most exciting defensive partnerships in Europe.
What do you think of Laporte? Should Chelsea pursue him? Let us know in the comments below!