Initially, FIFA rejected the transfer after the necessary paperwork was submitted past the deadline. However, according to Diario AS, the agreement between the two clubs had been finalized on time, and the delay stemmed from Al Nassr’s submission rather than Athletic’s.

Athletic confirmed the approval in a statement on its official website: “FIFA has authorized the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to obtain the International Transfer Certificate (ITC) from the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. Once the ITC is issued, Aymeric Laporte will be eligible to register with Athletic Club”.

This marks Laporte’s second stint with the Basque side, the club where he began his professional career. During his first spell, he played 222 matches across all competitions, scored 10 goals, and helped the team lift the Spanish Super Cup in 2015 with a 5-1 aggregate win over Lionel Messi’s Barcelona.

Laporte’s farewell message

Laporte joined Al Nassr in 2023 after a trophy-filled spell at Manchester City, where he won the UEFA Champions League. In Saudi Arabia, the Spanish defender made 69 appearances and scored nine goals but was unable to win silverware alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

As speculation grew this summer about his departure, head coach Jorge Jesus left Laporte out of the squad for Al Nassr’s European preseason tour and their trip to Hong Kong for the Saudi Super Cup.

Before finalizing his exit, Laporte posted a heartfelt message to Al Nassr fans on X (formerly Twitter): “Dear Al Nassr fans, my time at this great club has come to an end. I’m grateful for this experience, full of memories and growth, and proud to have been part of the SPL rise on the world stage. It’s been an honor to share the pitch with so many top players. I wish the club nothing but success for the future”.

According to RMC Sport, Al Nassr could release center-back Aymeric Laporte despite his contract running through 2026. The report adds that Laporte is already in talks with French club Olympique Marseille. His departure might be surprising for some, but his performances have not lived up to expectations. Fans criticized him on several occasions, and his form has raised concerns within the club.

Laporte joined Al Nassr in August 2023 for $31 million after leaving Manchester City. Since then, he has played 69 matches, scoring nine goals and providing one assist. However, he has failed to win a single title with the Saudi club. This stands in contrast to his success with Athletic Club and Manchester City. If he leaves, Al Nassr could reinforce their defense by targeting a younger player with long-term potential.

Aymeric Laporte wants to return to European soccer and is targeting a club that plays in the UEFA Champions League, as per Sacha Tavolieri. This move could help him regain the prominence he once had, as he was previously seen as one of the best central defenders in the world.

Also, he could strengthen his chances of continuing to be called up to the Spanish national team, since younger defenders are starting to challenge his spot. Therefore, Laporte views this return as a crucial step to revive his career and maintain his international relevance.

Could Cristiano Ronaldo also leave Al Nassr at the end of the season?

Since Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Al Nassr, the club has failed to win any major titles. This has raised questions about his legacy in Arab soccer. Still, the Portuguese star has been the team’s best player since day one. He is currently the league’s top scorer. However, Al Nassr do not have a sporting project that matches those of teams like Al Ittihad or Al Hilal. Those clubs have deeper and more balanced squads.

Because of this situation, fans have pointed out that Ronaldo’s contract ends on June 30, 2025. His renewal has not been confirmed yet. Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror reports that he feels unhappy with the team’s results.

For that reason, the Portuguese could decide to leave. This possibility is still open. However, nothing has been officially announced. At the same time, Al Nassr’s recent 9-0 win showed the team can perform well without their Portuguese star raising doubts on his continuity.

Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr visited Al-Riyadh for the second-to-last fixture of the tournament, and given their respective positions in the standings, it wasn’t expected to be a complicated match for the visitors.

However, the home side climbed to a 2-1 lead and to add insult to injury, Aymeric Laporte got himself ejected with a head-scratching and borderline incredible foul.

Aymeric Laporte Gets Sents Off, Cristiano Looks Disappointed

The former Manchester City star clearly grabbed one of his rivals by the arm, and then, for whatever reason, he doubled down by punching him in the arm as well. It was an easy call for the referee, who didn’t spend much time reviewing the play.

Unsurprisingly, that inexplicable foul didn’t sit well with Ronaldo, who had to watch his teammate sent home with 30 minutes still left to play and his team already down in the score.

Fortunately for Al-Nassr, they were able to keep pushing and even leveled the score thanks to a stoppage-time score by Meshari Al-Nemer in the 97th minute to record their second tie in a row and take their unbeaten streak to seven games.

Cristiano Still Has A Shot At The Record

Even though the former Real Madrid icon couldn’t tie the record on Thursday afternoon, he will still have another opportunity to make history for Al-Nassr next Monday.

His team will host fifth-placed Al-Ittihad, and that was quite a favorable matchup for Cristiano’s side in their last meeting, as they thrashed them 2-5 with a brace by CR7, another by Sadio Mane, and a goal by Anderson Talisca.

Hopefully, he’ll get more chances to add to his tally but even if that’s not the case, scoring 33 goals to go along with 11 assists in a single season is still an incredible feature.

In a video that went viral on the Internet, the Brazilian was seen pushing the Spanish international from behind as he complained about a previous situation. Laporte reacted to the video, with an ironic jab at the winger.

“Maybe he wanted to dance..?,” the Al-Nassr center-back wrote. The message was clearly ironic and it echoes the sentiment of those who feel the Real Madrid star provokes his opponents and then plays the victim.

Vinicius was often criticized in Spain for his dance celebrations, which were taken by many as a way of provoking his rivals. The Flamengo product, however, explained more than once it just has to do with his culture.

The 23-year-old was also involved in a confusing altercation on the sidelines at the end of the game following Lucas Paqueta’s late equalizer, but it didn’t escalate that much. In the end, he was seen laughing with other Spain players, swapping shirts with another player.

Vinicius in tears when talking about racism

A victim of constant racist insults in the last few years, Vinicius has been vocal about this issue, raising the voice to try and tackle discrimination in the sport. Before the friendly in Madrid, he broke down in tears as he addressed the topic in a press conference.

“I just want to play football, but it’s hard to move forward … I feel less and less like playing,” Vinicius said, via Reuters. “It never crossed my mind (to leave Spain) because, if I leave Spain, I give the racists exactly what they want.”

The Brazilian international is under contract with Real Madrid until 2027 with a reported release clause of 1 billion euros. Hopefully, he can continue to enjoy the game without having to tolerate racism.

Attendees during the wedding ceremony were friends and family members of the happy couple. Images from the event show that not enough Sky Blues players or staff were invited to the party.

This is because many of them would have preferred to spend the holiday with their loved ones. Just two players from the Citizens’ current squad were present: Rodri, who scored his side’s Champions League winning-goal, and the 52-goal machine this season, Erling Haaland.

Who is Erling Haaland’s girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen?

Haaland was seen in a sharp navy suit and sunglasses, standing next to his girlfriend Isabel Johansen. Meanwhile, she looks stunning in a patterned dress with exceptional sophistication.

It’s true that sightings of the two together are uncommon, but there’s logic behind this. Isabel, who is 19 years old, plays football as well, for the women’s senior team of the Norwegian team, Bryne.

The Norwegian city of Bryne is where the pair supposedly met. Both were members of the club’s youth system and likely started dating while the striker was still playing for Borussia Dortmund in Germany.

Neither of the two has yet acknowledged their dating status, although it has been well-known since last year that they are seeing one other. The couple has, however, recently become no stranger to the paparazzi’s lens; at the beginning of June, after City had just won the UEFA Champions League, photographers caught them having a tender moment.

In his first months at Camp Nou, Xavi tried to restore some of the identity the club has been lacking under Ronald Koeman, although results didn’t come his way yet. But changes keep on coming in Barcelona.

Ferran Torres has become the first big signing under the Spanish boss, in a surprising move with Manchester City. Following that experience, it looks like the Catalans are interested in shopping at the Premier League club again.

Report: Barcelona set their sights on anotherManchester City player

According to The Sun, Barcelona are now thinking about a summer move for Aymeric Laporte. The center-back has been at the Etihad since the summer of 2018, when he joined the Citizens for €65m ($74m) from Athletic Club.

But the Spain international has reclaimed aspot in Pep Guardiola‘s starting eleven this season and is under contract until 2025, which makes this move quite unlikely for the Cules. Besides, Manchester City would want to recoup what they spent for him, which would be unaffordable for Barca’s delicate finances.

However, the report claims Barcelona would take a loan at the end of the season again, just liketheydid to sign Ferran. Additionally, they hope their good relationship with City’s hierarchy gives them a chance. There’s still a long way to go until the summer, though, so Barcelona will have time to think about other options as well.

The Portuguese megastar is entering the final year of his contract with the Old Lady, but it seems like he wants to leave earlier. During his time at Juve, Cristiano has certainly impressed and continued performing at a top level.

But he may have grown tired of the team’s Champions League failures and, at 36, he doesn’t want to lose any more time to get back to glory days. French outlet L’Equipe has reported the former Manchester United star is considering a move to the Citizens, who would have to offload players to afford his arrival.

Bernardo Silva

Ronaldo’s teammate in the Portugal national team, Bernardo Silva was cited by the French newspaper as one of the names who would be involved in a swap deal to make Cristiano‘s signing possible.

The attacking midfield is undoubtedly one of the finest talents in Pep Guardiola‘s squad but he would be surrendered to make room for the Juventus figure. Manchester City are unwilling toafford Cristiano’s transfer fee, so swapping players could be their only way to complete the move.

Aymeric Laporte

The Spain international hasn’t seen many first-team action last season, missing some of the games through injury and sitting on the bench in many others. However, he started in all Euro 2020 games.

The Sky Blues would have to give something in exchange for Cristiano, and they wouldn’d mind offering the Serie A giantsAymeric Laporte, who was also mentioned by L’Equipe.

That’s why they secured the signings of Sergio Aguero and Eric García, but according to a report by Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, they’re far from done spending. If anything, they want to add even more former Citizens to their ranks.

The report states that Barcelona President Joan Laporta has turned his attention to 4 Manchester City players. And, with Pep Guardiola reportedly eyeing Ousmane Dembeléand/or Sergi Roberto, there could be a swap in the works right as we speak.

Report: Barcelona Interested In 4 Manchester City Players

4. Bernardo Silva

Even though he has been one of the most reliable players since joining the Manchester City, Bernardo Silva has been losing ground in Guardiola’s pecking order. He’s a perfect fit for the Cule’s schemeand could be a part of a swap for Ousmane Dembelé.

3. Aymeric Laporte

Leftie center-back Aymeric Laportehas been linked with a move away from the team for some time now, and it seems like Real Madrid are also interested in his services. Barcelona are looking forward to reinforcing their final third of the roster with a top-notch player next to Samuel Umtiti.

2. Joao Cancelo

Joao Cancelo has reportedly been on Barcelona’s radar for the past two or three seasons. His versatility and ability to play on both flanks are some of the mainreasons why Ronald Koeman has made him a priority, and he could be swapped for Sergi Roberto.

1. Riyad Mahrez

The Blaugrana have kept tabs on Riyad Mahrez since he played for Leicester City. And even though he’s far from his best, he’s still a valuable piece that could make a huge impact coming off the bench. The Citizens want to sign Harry Kane and/or Jack Grealish, so he’d lose a lot of ground if that happens.

Throughout the 2020/21 campaign, the Spaniard boss has often decided to play without an outright striker, with both Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus hit with injuries and far from their best level, which didn’t seem like a problem until the great continental game showed otherwise.

Even though the Sky Blues have been outstanding in their path towardstheir first UCL final in history,the defeat was a massive blow and it may lead to important decisions. With Tottenham‘s superstar apparently seekinga new challenge, Manchester City could make some room in their squadto bring him in.

Three players could leave Manchester City to make Kane’s arrival possible

Before the hurtful ending to the Champions League journey, everything seemed to be going in the right way for the Citizens. Then again, failing to finally make the crucial steptowards the title will probably force both the club and the coach to reconsider some decisions.

It is no secret that Harry Kane considers leavingTottenham in the upcoming transfer window after they failed to win trophies inall these years.Manchester City are a strong candidate togo after him, despite negotiations with Spurs owner Daniel Levy won’t be easy at all.

According to Goal, the Sky Blues would have in mind selling three players to raise funds for that move. Aymeric Laporte, Benjamin Mendy, and Raheem Sterling could be sold in the next few months to make room for the striker and meetthe $140 million asking price set by the London club.

Needless to say, Pep Guardiola already has a strong enough squad that tastedsuccess over the past few seasons, but it can get even betterwith Kane’s possible transfer request. He is set to be the main man on the market soon, and City have what’s necessary to attract him.

His arrival might give them the necessary boost to finally claim the highly desired European trophy while helping them to retain the domestic crown against tough competitors. The Citizens will probably look for a striker this summer, and Kane might be the best option.