Aston Villa are reportedly eyeing a move for Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte, as Unai Emery and Monchi eye further blockbuster signings at Villa Park.

The duo have already broken the club’s record transfer fee through the £51.9m capture of Moussa Diaby, as well as spending big on Pau Torres earlier in the summer.

Despite making strong reinforcements, the Villans aren’t expected to stop their spends yet, with a marquee move for Laporte reportedly an option.

What’s the latest on Aymeric Laporte to Aston Villa?

As reported by the Mirror, City could cash in on the Spaniard following the signing of centre-back Josko Gvardiol.

Villa are mentioned as one of the clubs that have been ‘monitoring’ the movements of the 29-year-old, who is said in the report to be available for just £30m this summer.

Valued by FootballTransfers at €42.3m (£36m), Monchi could pull off another masterclass in snatching the £130k-per-week defender for a cut-price.

How good is Aymeric Laporte?

Having once been lauded as “incredible” and previously named the “best left central defender in the world” by his manager Pep Guardiola, it’s clear to see just what Villa could gain in signing Laporte.

It also showcases the level of talent on show at the Etihad, with the Spaniard unable to worm his way back into the Spaniard’s plans due to the continuous revelation of defensive quality in Manchester.

Last term, the France-born gem made just 12 appearances in the Premier League for City down to the success of Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias in Guardiola’s favoured back three.

While the strengths of Laporte’s game are unquestionable, the dynamic centre-back is no longer considered part of the manager’s immediate plans, leaving him as a promising acquisition for another club to capture.

Villa underwent a revival of defensive stability following Emery’s arrival last season, with the central partnership of Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings proving to be a stellar combination when called upon.

As learned by the reported target of the claret and blue, football can be cruel and despite the finding of form last campaign, the duo could be axed from being the first-choice pairing, should another centre-back arrive.

With Torres already obtained, integrating Laporte would surely be bad news for Mings, who at 30-years-old could have his position compromised simply down to the baseline quality of the Spain international.

Despite being away from regular game time, when on the field, the 29-year-old remains one of the top-performing centre-backs in Europe for his progressive play.

As per FBref, the Spaniard ranked in the top 1% of centre-backs in Europe down to his average of 7.00 progressive passes per 90, showcasing just how much of a ball-playing whiz he is in the right system.

To put such numbers into perspective, Mings averaged 3.17 progressive passes per 90 in the Premier League last season, as well as recording 0.57 progressive carries to Laporte’s 2.72 per 90, highlighting the opposing outlet that the City man could offer.

While such ball-playing skills are becoming an increasingly noticeable – and desired – attribute in defenders, the 29-year-old titan also prevailed as a high-performing player with the usual defensive duties in comparison to the Englishman.

Averaging 1.00 tackles to Mings’ 0.43 per 90, as well as winning 2.18 aerials per 90 to his 1.74, the City marvel could back Emery into a difficult decision that could see him drop the 30-year-old should the dynamic centre-back arrive.

It would be a ruthless call but one that could help Villa transition onto another new level this season, given the evidence above.