Athletic Club have already had a good summer so far, and it could soon be about to get significantly better. Nico Williams snubbed a move to Barcelona in order to sign a new 10-year contract, and he could be joined at San Mames by current Spain teammate Aymeric Laporte.
Laporte, who has also been linked with a move to Atletico Madrid, is set to leave Al-Nassr this summer, having already been replaced by David Hancko. A return to Europe beckons for the Spain international, and Athletic are one of the clubs said to be very keen to securing his signature.
The increased interest in Laporte’s services will make it difficult for Athletic to re-sign Laporte, and they are prepared to make the effort to bring him back in Bilbao. And taking this into account, they have submitted an opening verbal offer to Al-Nassr, as reported by Fabrizio Romano.
Athletic won’t break the bank to re-sign Laporte
It’s not clear how much Athletic are offering, but regardless, it will be difficult for them to re-sign Laporte. As per Diario AS, Al-Nassr want to recover a significant portion of the €27.5m they spent to acquire him from Manchester City two years ago, with the Saudi Pro League side having no intention to agree a mutual contract termination.
And if Laporte does want to return to Athletic, he will need to take a significant wage cut. He earns €25m per season at Al-Nassr, but Los Leones will not pay him anywhere close to this amount. Their idea is for him to be on a lower wage to Williams, whose new deal sees him earn approximately €10m a year.
It remains to be seen whether Athletic are able to secure a dream return to San Mames for Laporte, but they are putting in the work to make it a reality.
