Barcelona's pursuit of Spain international Aymeric Laporte has become increasingly complicated, according to Spanish media.
As reported by Idman.biz, citing AS, the Catalan club are considering a move for the 32-year-old centre-back, who is seen as an experienced option capable of filling the void that could be left by Inigo Martinez's departure.
However, Athletic Club are not prepared to part ways with Laporte on the terms previously reported. According to the Spanish outlet, the Basque club do not intend to accept a transfer fee of €12-15 million.
Instead, Barcelona would reportedly have to pay nearly twice that amount if they want to sign the defender, whose contract with Athletic runs until June 30, 2028.
Barcelona currently have five central defenders available to head coach Hansi Flick: Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Gerard Martin, Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen. If Laporte joins the squad, one of those players could be put up for sale.
Laporte played a key role in Spain's triumphant 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, forming one of the tournament's strongest centre-back partnerships alongside Pau Cubarsi.
The defender returned to Athletic from Al Nassr last year for €10 million. He previously represented the Bilbao club between 2012 and 2018 before joining Manchester City in a €65 million move. After four and a half seasons under Pep Guardiola, Laporte transferred to Al Nassr in 2023 for €27.5 million.
