Manchester City star Aymeric Laporte has previously claimed he has a "really good relationship" with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, amid reports of a potential move to the Emirates Stadium this summer transfer window. It comes amid claims that the 29-year-old will be free to leave the Cityzens in the coming weeks.
The Spain international has spent five years at the Etihad Stadium, having joined from Athletic Bilbao in 2018 for a £55million transfer fee. In that time, the defender has racked up 179 appearances for City in all competitions, winning five Premier Leagues, four EFL Cups, two FA Cups, two Community Shields and one Champions League.
The previous season has not been ideal for Laporte though, who only managed 24 appearances across all competitions, less than he managed in the Premier League alone the campaign before. With uncertainty surrounding his future, there's been plenty of interest touted from other clubs.
Tottenham have been one of those linked, with Ange Postecoglou beginning his rework of the squad, with his era starting on Saturday. Guglielmo Vicario was the first signing of the window to help solve the long-term goalkeeping issues, with James Maddison announced as the second to add playmaking ability.
Next on the agenda could be a defender, with the loan for Clement Lenglet ending and the future of Davinson Sanchez currently uncertain. Laporte could be one of those options, but recent reports of interest from their rivals Arsenal could add difficulty to their chase.
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The serial winner has previously worked with Arteta in his time with City, which could hand the Gunners a huge advantage. Discussing his relationship with the Arsenal boss in 2020, Laporte said: "Mikel is a great coach and, for me, he has been one of the best people I have met in Manchester.
"He tries to help players all the time, he had a really good relationship with everyone and with me especially." It's a remark that many of the City players, past and present, have echoed about the Spaniard in recent years.
It remains to be seen whether that will help the Gunners in their potential hijacking of Tottenham's move for Laporte, with plenty of twists and turns coming in the summer transfer window.
