Athletic Club deny €12-15m release clause for Barcelona target; demand double instead | OneFootball

According to Ferran Correas of SPORT, Athletic Club are attempting to cool growing speculation surrounding FC Barcelona target Aymeric Laporte, insisting that signing the Spain international will not be as straightforward as recent reports have suggested.

Laporte was one of the standout performers in Spain’s World Cup-winning campaign, forming an outstanding central defensive partnership with Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi throughout the tournament.

Barcelona monitoring the defender

Laporte’s performances have inevitably attracted interest, and Barcelona are among the clubs considering a move for the 32-year-old this summer.

The defender has been offered to the Catalan club by his representatives, with Barça viewing him as a market opportunity.

Barcelona like Laporte. (Photo by Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images)

Sporting director Deco believes Laporte could provide the experience and left-footed balance that Inigo Martinez once brought to the squad before leaving for Saudi Arabia.

Athletic determined to keep him

Reports linking Laporte with Barcelona have not been well received in Bilbao. Relations between Athletic Club and Barcelona remain strained following the Nico Williams saga, and club officials are once again keen to send a clear message: Laporte is not for sale.

With the defender under contract until June 2028, the Basque club’s position is that any interested club would have to trigger his release clause if they want to sign him.

Disagreement over the release clause

Recent reports have suggested that Laporte’s release clause sits somewhere between €12 million and €15 million, making him an affordable target for Barcelona.

However, sources close to Athletic strongly dispute those figures.

The Basque club insists the actual amount required to sign Laporte is significantly higher, close to double the figures that have been circulating in recent days.

Athletic Club remain determined to retain Laporte. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

Barcelona would need defensive departures

Even if Barcelona decide to pursue the Spain international, any move would almost certainly depend on departures from Hansi Flick’s defensive unit.

The German coach currently has five recognised central defenders available – Cubarsi, Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen, and Gerard Martin.

Without an outgoing transfer, adding another centre-back appears difficult.

Laporte returned to Athletic Club a year ago after leaving Al-Nassr in a deal worth around €10 million. It remains to be seen whether Barcelona make a move for the Spanish international in the coming weeks.