Barcelona have reportedly decided to give up their pursuit of Manchester City centre-back Aymeric Laporte, according to report from Spain.

In recent weeks, there has been growing speculation Laporte may find a way out of the Etihad Stadium this summer, with Barcelona reportedly interested in the Manchester City star.

aporte was City’s best defender during their title-winning campaign two years ago, but a serious knee problem saw him miss the majority of last season, whilst the arrival or Ruben Dias from Benfica last summer saw the Frenchman lose his place in the team.

City’s season ended with Laporte watching from the sidelines as they lost the Champions League final, cutting a frustrated and desolate figure as John Stones and Ruben Dias continued to be Pep Guardiola’s go-to centre-back pairing.

Laporte, for the first time in his career, found himself out in the cold – he made just 14 starts in the Premier League and three in the Champions League.

So it was no surprise, especially after his watching brief in Porto, to hear whispers that the €45m-rated defender was unhappy and that he was hoping for a move to Spain.

According to Sport, due to their well-documented financial struggles, La Blaugrana have ended their pursuit of the Manchester City centre-back, as well as Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt.

Barcelona have been working on cheaper deals so far this summer due to their financial situation. They have already signed Laporte’s former City teammates Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia on free transfers.

The 27-year-old has been an integral player for Spain at Euro 2020, though, playing every minute so far as La Roja prepare to face Italy in the semi-finals.

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