Athletic Bilbao to Acquire Aymeric Laporte Following FIFA’s Policy Change

Athletic Bilbao is set to secure Aymeric Laporte’s signing after the international football governing body, FIFA, revised its position on the matter on Thursday.

Transfer Attempt

The Basque club initially attempted to sign the Spanish defender from the Saudi Arabian team Al Nassr on September 1; however, this transfer could not be finalized before the window closed.

FIFA Stance and Request

Previously, FIFA had turned down a request from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to provide an exemption for Laporte’s transfer. Yet, Athletic has now confirmed that the RFEF’s appeal was successful, leading to a change in FIFA’s decision.

Reports from Spain indicated that Al Nassr did not properly enter the specifics of the transfer into FIFA’s Transfer Matching System.

Official Announcement from Athletic Club

Athletic Club stated, “We would like to inform you that FIFA has authorized the RFEF to secure the International Transfer Certificate (ITC) from the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.”

“Once the ITC is processed, Aymeric Laporte will be eligible for registration with Athletic Club,” they added.

Laporte, now 31 years old, made his departure from Athletic to Manchester City in 2018 before his move to Al Nassr earlier this year.