Athletic Club to finalise Aymeric Laporte return next week

Athletic Club have had a productive summer so far, and it will soon get better with the return of Aymeric Laporte. Los Leones have been aiming to re-sign the 31-year-old for much of the transfer window, and they are about to get their man.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Laporte had agreed personal terms with Athletic , whom he originally left in 2018 to sign for Manchester City. During this period, he has been in negotiations with Al-Nassr over terminating his contract, although a final decision had been delayed.

As per Marca , Al-Nassr officials put off final discussions with Laporte until after the Saudi Super Cup final against Al-Ahli, which took place on Saturday. And with that now out of the way, it’s expected that both parties will reach an agreement in the coming days.

Image via Cordon Press

At this stage, the plan is for Laporte to fly to Bilbao at some stage next week to undergo medical examinations. After this, he will be able to sign a three-year contract with his boyhood club, ths completing a sensational homecoming.

Laporte’s return to San Mames cannot come soon enough. Athletic head coach Ernesto Valverde only has Dani Vivian and Aitor Paredes as available centre-back options, with Yeray Alvarez suspended due to a failed doping test and Unai Eguiluz out for the foreseeable future after suffering an ACL injury.

All being well, there is a chance for Laporte to be included in the matchday squad for next weekend’s trip to La Cartuja, where Athletic will face Real Betis. He is unlikely to be chosen to start, although he could be in line for some minutes – which he will need, given that he is expected to be included in Spain’s squad for their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Türkiye, which take place in the following week.