Athletic Club ready to end Aymeric Laporte return link

Athletic Club could be left frustrated in their ongoing attempt to bring former star Aymeric Laporte back to the club this summer.

Laporte is rumoured to be keen on leaving Al Nassr in the coming weeks as he wants to move back to Europe ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The veteran defender is prioritising a spot in Luis de la Fuente’s squad for the tournament next summer amid major competition for the two centre back places.

The 31-year-old has previously hinted he was keen on a move to Real Madrid, but that did not materialise into an offer to bring him back to Spain for 2024/25.

Previous interest from Premier League pair Arsenal and Aston Villa has not developed and Laporte now looks to heading for Bilbao or bust in his attempts to leave Saudi Arabia.

The lure of a move back to the Basque Country has been used by Athletic Club but finances remain central to an agreement.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed the deal is stalling with Athletic Club aiming for a free transfer with his current contract running until 2026 and Mundo Deportivo have backed that up.

Laporte currently earns around €25m per year in Saudi Arabia, and that would need to be cut by more than 50% to seal a move back to the Estadio San Mames, if Al Nassr sanction an exit.

Jorge Jesus has frozen Laporte out of his preseason plans, ahead of the new Saudi season, but Al Nassr are not willing to pay off a portion of his wages to assist an exit.

The club’s stance is based on their frustration over Laporte’s open desire to leave and they could leave him on the fringes in the months ahead.

A swoop for Inigo Martinez from Barcelona is a major coup for Cristiano Ronaldo’s team and he will start ahead of Laporte at this stage.