Laporta lining up bid for Athletic Bilbao's Laporte as part of Barca presidential campaign
Joan Laporta is lining up a move for Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte as part of his expected Barcelona presidential campaign.
The former club chief has not officially announced his candidacy for the upcoming elections but is expected to confirm that he will run at the last minute.
The 52-year-old, who presided over the club from 2003 to 2010 - during which time the Blaugrana won four league titles and two Champions Leagues - is already making moves to invest in the team should he be re-elected.
Barca are pushing for a move for 20-year-old centre-back Laporte and are ready to match his release clause at Athletic, worth £30 million, but they face competition from Manchester City, who, as revealed by Goal, have also identified the youngster as a priority target.
The Catalan giants are currently banned from registering new players after irregularities in the signing of minors, meaning that they would buy the player in the summer but he would have to remain at San Mames until January 2016.
Laporta has a good relationship with Jorge Mendes, who only became Laporte's agent in the last month, and sources have told Goal that the club would offer him a five year deal with an annual salary of €3.5 million ($3.8 million).
If the deal goes through this summer, Athletic would not play the France Under-21s international in European competitions next season to ensure that he is eligible for Barca's Champions League campaign when he completes the move in January.
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