Transfer News: Athletic Club Signs Iñigo Martinez

The Athletic Club has reacted quickly. Just a few hours after announcing that the French defender Aymeric Laporte had paid his release clause (€65M) to join Manchester City, the basque board has secured the signing of his replacement, the 26-year-old Iñigo Martinez.

According to El Correo newspaper, in order to finalize the signing, the Bilbao-based club had to offer the player a salary of €5M net per season, making him the highest paid player on the team.

Naturally, his arrival at San Mames also involves paying the €32M release clause, as his current club Real Sociedad has always been reluctant to sell one of their most important and outstanding players. Until now, the San Sebastian team had resisted the advances of other interested clubs by increasing his salary, but "this time his entourage didn't even give any room for maneuver because they announced that the player's departure was irrevocable," explains the newspaper.

With great ball striking ability and a combative character, Martinez will now face the exciting challenge of filling the void left by the best defender who has worn the red and white jersey in recent times. Similarly, the player will have to make a considerable effort to earn the definitive appreciation of the Bilbao fans, who have seen him engage in heated controversies with many of his teammates in recent years.