Chelsea have ‘requested information’ on £57m Man City star at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea have asked for information on Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte, Rudy Galetti has told GIVEMESPORT.

According to the Italian journalist, while defence is not a priority for the Blues right now, they still have the 29-year-old on a list of potential targets.

Chelsea transfer news — Aymeric Laporte

Galetti recently reported that Chelsea and Bayern Munich both have an interest in Laporte.

The Spain international looks set to leave City this summer, with Football Insider claiming that the Premier League champions are ready to accept offers for him.

They signed him from Athletic Bilbao in a deal worth £57m back in 2018, as reported by BBC Sport.

During his time at the Etihad, Laporte has won a plethora of major honours, which now includes the Champions League following his side’s triumph over Inter Milan earlier this month.

What has Rudy Galetti said about Aymeric Laporte and Chelsea?

Galetti says Chelsea are not currently holding discussions to sign Laporte but do have the centre-back on their radar.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “Aymeric Laporte is among the names on the list of Chelsea as a possible reinforcement this summer. No talks are ongoing to date. Chelsea’s aim is to strengthen other roles but, in the past weeks, the Blues requested info on him.”

Do Chelsea need Aymeric Laporte?

Not really. On his day, Laporte is obviously a really good defender. In the nine matches he played in his debut Premier League season, the City star won 2.7 aerial duels per game, which was the second-highest average in his squad, according to WhoScored. Aerially, he is very dominant.

However, Mauricio Pochettino already has a solid group of centre-halves at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea still have Thiago Silva, Wesley Fofana, Benoît Badiashile and Levi Colwill all on their books, with the last of that quartet returning from his loan at Brighton & Hove Albion.

If the new Blues boss is planning to play four at the back next season, then the above should be enough. There is also Trevoh Chalobah, though a report from football.london claims that Inter Milan are trying to sign the 23-year-old.

Ultimately, Chelsea signing a centre-back does not look necessary. And if it was, there is one huge red flag with Laporte: his injury record.

If the west London club end up losing Colwill or Silva, for example, then maybe they should consider bringing in someone like the former Athletic Bilbao man. But for now, a new central defender is not a necessity.