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Barcelona’s new boss ready for first transfer battle against Real Madrid

By Rucker Haringey

BARCELONA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 04: Neymar Santos Jr (R) of FC Barcelona dribbles Aymeric Laporte (L) of Athletic Club during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club at Camp Nou stadium on February 4, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 04: Neymar Santos Jr (R) of FC Barcelona dribbles Aymeric Laporte (L) of Athletic Club during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club at Camp Nou stadium on February 4, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona and Real Madrid both want to sign Aymeric Laporte

Over the years, Barcelona and Real Madrid have engaged in countless transfer battles. The two clubs are sent to tangle one more time for Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte. This contest will represent the first transfer battle pitting Ernesto Valverde against Zinedine Zidane.

Reports from Spain (via the Daily Star) claim that Zidane sees the talented centre back as the ideal replacement for Pepe. Of course, Florentino Perez and company are more concerned with signing Kylian Mbappe at the moment. That could open the door for Valverde and company to swoop in.

Of course, the new Barcelona boss is very familiar with Laporte’s game. After all, he managed him at the club level for the last several seasons. Valverde knows the good and the bad that come along with placing Laporte in the starting XI.

The Frenchman is far from the perfect centre back. He only posted a Whoscored.com player rating average of 6.97 in his 33 La Liga starts last season. That’s a solid season, but it isn’t the sort of play that typically draws interest from the top clubs in the world. Clearly, Valverde believes he can play better if he were surrounded by the talent of Barcelona.

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For Zidane, it’s possible this is an ego play designed to take a shot at his new rival. The French gaffer may want to use his countryman to send a message to Valverde. If he can take one of his rivals’ former players and immediately boost his level of play it could prove to be an early mental advantage for Zidane.

Fortunately for Laporte, he wouldn’t necessarily be counted on as an immediate starter for either club. Instead, he’d only be expected to serve as a member of a defensive rotation early on. The plan would be for the 23-year-old old to grow into a more integral member of the squad.

Next: Messi wins Barcelona power struggle

Aymeric Laporte might not be the most exciting transfer target of the summer for either Barcelona or Real Madrid, but he could prove to be historically significant. The talented French defender could go down in history as the subject of the first of many transfer battles between Ernesto Valverde and Zinedine Zidane.

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