Barcelona turns down Spain national team leader. Why?
Laporte’s experience hasn’t convinced Barcelona to dive into another Basque transfer saga.
Details: According to Touchline, Athletic defender Aymeric Laporte was offered to Barcelona, but the Catalan club’s management showed little genuine interest in the potential transfer.
The main reason for their hesitation is the absence of an easily activated release clause. Barcelona believes this would force the club to begin full-fledged and potentially complicated negotiations with the Athletic Bilbao board.
The Catalans remain skeptical of such a scenario after the lengthy and ultimately unsuccessful transfer saga surrounding Nico Williams, who ended up staying in Bilbao and extended his contract with the club until 2035.
Meanwhile, this new information contradicts earlier reports from Sport: just a few days ago, it was claimed that Barcelona had already contacted Laporte’s camp, and that his buyout fee was supposedly under €15 million.
It’s worth noting that Laporte returned to Athletic from Al-Nassr in September 2025. His current deal with the Basque club runs until June 30, 2028.
Reminder: Just €15 million! Barcelona targets World Cup champion.
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
