Pep knows Laporte is worth the wait...
AYMERIC Laporte’s City gamble has paid off.
After rejecting Pep Guardiola once, the Frenchman was convinced the Blues boss would be back.
And 18 months after missing out on Laporte for a first time, Guardiola has proven there are no hard feelings – launching a club-record bid for the centre-back.
City hope to complete a £56m deal within days after agreeing to meet the 23-year-old’s buyout clause.
After seeing Virgil van Dijk head to Liverpool during this window, Guardiola turned his attention back to Laporte – a player he wanted in his very first summer at the Etihad.
Back then he saw the France under-21 international as an ideal long-term partner for John Stones.
In the shorter term, he also considered him an option at left-back which will have played into his thinking at a time when Benjamin Mendy and Fabian Delph are both sidelined.
Laporte rejected City at the last minute in 2016 – at a time when sporting director Txiki Begiristain believed he had landed one of the most highly-rated defensive prospects in Europe.
He believed he needed to develop away from the spotlight of such a high-profile move to the Etihad.
But he was also confident a move to City would materialise in the future, which is now on the verge of completion. And Guardiola – who has missed out on a host of targets since taking over at the club, gave the clearest indication last week that he does not hold grudges where failed transfers are concerned.
“I think if the player decides to move to another club, it is because they are completely committed to what they want to do in terms of salary, in terms of where they want to be, where they want to live, their family,” he said.
“If they move on and they are not completely committed, it is a mistake for the player, for the manager and for the club as well.
“I respect the decision of the players a lot.
“There are more than our circumstances together.”
Guardiola has been determined to secure defensive reinforcements this month, with Vincent Kompany continuing to struggle for consistent fitness.
Van Dijk was a target in the summer and again this month, for us to be only for the Dutchman to join Liverpool in a £75m deal. Jonny Evans was another name under consideration – but Guardiola’s preference is to buy for the longterm. Laporte fits the profile – just as he did when City first came calling.