‘Yessss’, ‘would happily take’ – Fans reacts as Man City Identify €65M-rated ‘decent replacement’ for Aymeric Laporte

Manchester City fans have been reacting to a post on Twitter which relays a report that claims the club have already identified one possible option to replace Aymeric Laporte this summer.

Laporte was City’s best defender during their title-winning campaign two years ago, but a serious knee problem saw him miss the majority of last season, whilst the arrival or Ruben Dias from Benfica last summer saw the Frenchman lose his place in the team.

The premier league champions have already lost young centre-back Eric Garcia to Barcelona on a free transfer, whilst Laporte, who has been considering his future, has been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium.

Should City move Laporte on this summer, it would leave Nathan Ake as the only back up to regular pairing Dias and John Stones.

According to Sam Lee of the Athletic, Villarreal’s highly-rated central defender Pau Torres is one of the players that Manchester City could turn to this summer, should they receive the right offer for the want-away Aymeric Laporte.

The thought of returning to Spain has always appealed to Aymeric Laporte and losing his spot in the Man City team accelerated those plans. He informed Man City of his desire around six months ago, the report adds.

In reaction to the report shared on Twitter by City Xtra and City Chief, Many Man City fans have been expressing their thoughts and opinions.

That’s a W if Pau Torres comes to City

— CITYZEN (@austin3mb) June 13, 2021

Yessss THIS IS BEST DEAL! THIS IS WHAT WE WANT

— CITY The CHAMPIONS! (@KunAme10) June 13, 2021

Yk what I'd actually take him tbh, looks like a good player and will only look even better in our team

— Cyrus 🙇🏻‍♂️ (@SilkyCyrus_74) June 13, 2021

Pau Torres isn’t a bad player. Could be a decent replacement imo

— Luka (@LukaMCFC17) June 13, 2021

If Laporte leaves
I would happily take Pau Torres

— Pratik Maity🇮🇳 (@Sk1nFadeGascoin) June 13, 2021

I disagree, with an offer like that I wouldn’t stay & fight for a spot

-Going back home to the country you’ve been nearly all your life
-A permanent starting spot
-Possibility of a future captain

vs fighting for a spot in a league where you’ve won everything

No brainer for me

— Akio Fernandes 🐺 (@BlueWolf_09) June 13, 2021

We could probably afford to not replace laporte if he left and we got 80m+ for a season, stones, dias, ake and even walker could fill in now and again. Laporte fee would go a long way funding for a striker.

— Source247 (@Source2471) June 13, 2021

The Villarreal defender has other admirers in the premier league and in Spain, and his buyout clause increased from €50M to €65M earlier this year.

With Villarreal having won the Europa League and ensured they will be playing Champions League football next term, they will likely be unwilling to part with a key asset like Torres this summer.