Barcelona ready to activate ‘Project Man City’ with Laporte transfer

Suraj Radia

• 5 Mar 2023 13:25 GMT
• 2 min read

Barcelona are targeting a raid of Manchester City this summer, with Aymeric Laporte the latest player of Pep Guardiola’s stars to be targeted by the Catalan side.

In a move which Spanish outlet SPORT are calling ‘Project Man City’, Barca have a number of the Premier League side’s players on their shortlist despite their financial issues.

Laporte has made just six Premier League starts this season and is entering the final two years of his contract with City, with his replacement already being lined up by the club.

City are believed to be targeting a move for Josko Gvardiol, having failed in an approach for him last summer, with the 21-year-old seen as the natural successor to Laporte.

HANDS OFF!: Premier League sides told Gvardiol is not for sale

With RB Leipzig likely to demand in excess of €70 million for Gvardiol, a move for the Croatian could see City cash in on Laporte and Barca are keen on the Spaniard to solve their long-term issue at left centre back.

Barca had been looking to sign Inigo Martinez on a free transfer when his contract at Athletic Bilbao expires in the summer but his wages could make a deal difficult, meaning Marcos Alonso could continue to deputise as at left centre-back after impressing while covering for Andreas Christensen.

Which other stars are Barca eyeing as part of ‘Project Man City’?

Barca have been desperate to sign City midfielder Bernardo Silva in the past few summers but they have so far been unable to afford his asking price.

SPORT claim that City rejected Barca’s offer of a loan with a €70m option to buy for Silva in January but the La Liga side are not giving up on signing a player who has described the Blaugrana as his dream club.

REVEALED: Bernardo Silva's asking price at City

Barcelona also see Rodri as the ‘perfect’ replacement for Sergio Busquets but there is a belief that he would be an ‘impossible’ signing, with Guardiola unwilling to let the midfielder leave.

A more likely target could be Ilkay Gundogan, who looks set to leave City in the summer when his contract expires, while Barca are also monitoring the situation surrounding Julian Alvarez in the hopes of signing the Argentine on loan.

However, with Barca’s wage bill still out of control and La Liga chairman Javier Tebas insisting that the club need to raise €200m in sales before being allowed to sign new players, the chance of signing any of City’s stars appears slim.