Athletic Bilbao Issues Warning to Barcelona Over Laporte Transfer

Athletic Bilbao have sent a blunt message to Barcelona over Aymeric Laporte: if you want him, pay up – and pay a lot more than you think.

The Catalan club have been circling the defender after his outstanding World Cup, where he formed a rock-solid partnership with Barcelona’s own Pau Cubarsí. Together, they anchored a defence that conceded just one goal on the way to the Matador’s title, a performance that inevitably sharpened Barça’s interest.

That interest has not gone down well in Bilbao.

According to Sport, sources inside Athletic insist the release clause in Laporte’s contract is far higher than the figures being floated publicly. Numbers between 12 and 15 million euros have been widely reported. Bilbao officials have dismissed those valuations outright, insisting the real clause is close to double that range.

For a club already simmering over the Nico Williams saga, Barcelona’s move for another of their key players has hit a nerve. The feeling in the Basque offices is clear: history is repeating itself, and they are in no mood to be pushed around.

The response has been as firm as one of Laporte’s tackles. There will be no discounts, no friendly negotiations, no creative structures. With the defender under contract until the summer of 2028, Athletic hold the leverage and are determined to use it. Anyone wanting to prise him away must trigger the full clause. Nothing less.

From Barcelona’s side, the situation is complicated even before money enters the equation. Hansi Flick already has a crowded centre-back department. Pau Cubarsí, Eric García, Gerard Martín, Ronald Araújo and Andreas Christensen give him five options at the heart of defence.

Laporte’s arrival at the Spotify Camp Nou would almost certainly require a departure from that group. Barça cannot simply stockpile central defenders, especially while wrestling with financial constraints and squad registration rules.

So the equation is brutal in its simplicity. To land Laporte, Barcelona must first sell one of their own defenders and then meet a release clause that is significantly higher than early estimates. Athletic Bilbao, stung by recent transfer sagas and emboldened by a long contract, are drawing a hard line.

The question now is whether Barcelona are willing to cross it.