Deco’s Laporte Enquiry Met With €80m Brick Wall From Athletic Club

FC Barcelona have been actively scouting defensive reinforcements this summer, with Aymeric Laporte emerging as one of the more credible names on their list. The 32-year-old centre-back’s outstanding World Cup campaign, during which he formed an authoritative partnership alongside Pau Cubarsi at the heart of Spain’s defence, brought him sharply into focus at the Catalan club – only for Athletic Club to draw an immediate and unambiguous line under any prospective deal.

According to Diario AS, Athletic Club value Laporte at his €80 million release clause and have made their position plain to any interested party: there will be no negotiation and no reduction on their asking price. Sporting director Deco was among those who enquired about Laporte’s availability during the World Cup, watching him play live on several occasions – including Spain’s round-of-16 tie in Dallas – only to receive the same firm response from the Basque club’s hierarchy.

Laporte’s leverage with Athletic is considerable. He returned to San Mamés last summer from Al Nassr for €10 million and has a contract running through the summer of 2028, leaving the club under no financial or contractual pressure to move him on. His stock has risen sharply since the World Cup, where Spain conceded just one goal on the way to the title, and Athletic appear determined to let that valuation do the talking.

The fee alone would represent a significant structural obstacle for Barcelona, but it is far from the only one. The broader context of the damaged relationship between the two clubs following the Nico Williams saga has left little appetite at Camp Nou for another complicated negotiation with Athletic. Previous reporting has made clear that Barcelona have no particular desire to enter into any fresh dealing with the Basque side, and Athletic’s pointed response to Deco’s enquiry does nothing to soften that position.

There are internal squad dynamics to consider as well. Barcelona currently have five senior centre-backs available to Hansi Flick – Cubarsi, Eric García, Ronald Araújo, Andreas Christensen, and Gerard Martín – and the German coach is reported to be broadly satisfied with what he has. Adding a sixth profile of Laporte’s calibre would require at least one significant departure first, adding a further layer of complexity to an already improbable operation.

Real Madrid have also been credited with interest in Laporte, though it was Deco who made the concrete approach. As things stand, both clubs have received the same response. For Barcelona, the combination of Athletic’s €80 million release clause, a strained inter-club relationship, and a manager content with his current options makes a formal move for Laporte appear unlikely in the near term – however compelling the Laporte-Cubarsi pairing appeared on football’s biggest stage.