Athletic Club dealt major setback as FIFA reject Aymeric Laporte signing

Originally posted on Football Espana | By John Menzies | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 5:49 PM ET

Athletic Club have been hoping to finally secure the return of Aymeric Laporte, but for now, a deal to re-sign him has been put on hold.

During the first half of August, Laporte agreed personal terms ahead of a return to San Mames, rejecting several clubs in the process. However, the process has delayed by the defender being unable to reach an agreement to terminate his Al-Nassr contract, despite talks having been ongoing for many weeks.

In the end, Athletic stepped up to get the deal done, offering a €10m signing on fee in order for Laporte and Al-Nassr to come to an agreement. However, there were doubts about whether the necessary documentation was submitted on time, and FIFA’s ruling has now come through with bad news for Los Leones.

As per Diario AS, FIFA have confirmed that the documents sent from Al Nassr to their computer transfer system did not arrive on time, which means that Laporte will not be able to play for Athletic until the winter transfer window opens in January, as he is not allowed to be registered as their player.

Athletic to consider going the legal route

The Spanish Football Federation have abided by FIFA’s decision, which means that Athletic’s only option to have Laporte available for the first half of the season is if they launch an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

For now, Athletic are analysing the case, after which they will make their decision. But there will be a lot of frustration in the club’s offices in Bilbao, given that the delay was largely out of their control.

This article first appeared on Football Espana and was syndicated with permission.

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