Aymeric Laporte’s career has hit an impasse after his deadline-day transfer to Athletic Bilbao collapsed. As reported by AS, the Basque club is awaiting FIFA’s verdict and is ready to escalate the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if needed. Until then, the 31-year-old remains in limbo at Al Nassr, where all ten foreign player slots are filled. The Saudi side even brought in Iñigo Martínez as his replacement, leaving Laporte without registration for league or cup action.

His lucrative €25 million annual salary was a major hurdle in negotiations, though Athletic worked out a three-year package that would have placed him at the top of their wage scale. For now, that deal is frozen until at least 2026 unless FIFA or CAS overturn the decision.

Despite late interest from Turkey and Greece, Laporte is adamant about rejoining Athletic. At Al Nassr, he may only find minutes in the Asian Champions League 2, as coach Jorge Jesus has sidelined him domestically. Out of Spain’s squad since November 2024, his stalled club situation has further jeopardized his international career, and his chances of playing at the World Cup next year don’t look too good at the moment.