Athletic Want €80m for Laporte. Barça Have Already Done Their Part: They Asked

Barcelona have shown interest in Aymeric Laporte, but Athletic were quick to remind them that interest is not a recognised payment method. According to José Félix Díaz of AS, Deco enquired about the defender and received a straightforward answer: €80 million. The conversation probably ended before Barça could suggest the number of instalments.

Athletic bought Laporte from Al-Nassr for just €10 million last year. They now want eight times that amount, offering Barcelona the kind of highly creative deal they usually enjoy — except this time, it would benefit the other club.

The world champion still has two years left on his contract, so Athletic have no reason to lower their asking price. Barça have not submitted an actual offer yet. They have, however, created another transfer story that can run for several weeks before everyone remembers they cannot afford it.