In recent weeks, Athletic Club have been linked with a sensational swoop for former defender Aymeric Laporte, who was at San Mames until 2018, at which point he left for Manchester City. Last summer he joined Al-Nassr, although there is already talk that he could make a return to Europe.

Al-Nassr are willing to part ways with Laporte after only one season, but according to Marca, they want to recoup as much of the €25m they paid last summer. That would almost certainly price out Athletic, who had previously considered the Spanish centre-back to be their top defensive target.

As a result, Athletic Club are now set to look for a more affordable alternative, as they would have little spending room left if they splashed out on Laporte. The idea is now to target a younger profile – someone that is likely to act as a backup option to first-choice centre-back partnership Dani Vivian and Aitor Paredes.

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