Laporte, a member of the Spain national squad under Luis de la Fuente, spent the last two seasons in the Saudi Pro League, featuring for Al-Nassr. Athletic were interested in signing the player and wanted to execute the deal during the defender's stay in Portugal during the off-season. Manager Jorge Jesus and sporting director Simao Coutinho had clarified that the defender would not continue at the club, but the move to Athletic was blocked over a fiasco regarding the €25 million (£22m/$29m) salary. Afterwards, Al-Nassr went furious with the player demanding a contract termination which would enable Athletic to sign the defender for free. Meanwhile, Como are assessing Laporte's situation as Fabregas wants an experienced defender to lead his team's backline.