FIFA are set to grant a major reprieve to Aymeric Laporte and Athletic Club, as they look to complete a move that was initially ruled null and void. The Spain international had appealed to football’s governing body over the issue.

Laporte, keen to leave current club Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, had been in negotiations all summer to complete a move back to his first club in Bilbao. However the deal between Athletic and Al-Nassr did not make it onto FIFA’s transfer system before the Spanish deadline passed at midnight on the first of September. Despite Athletic’s confidence it would get done, FIFA ruled that the deadline had already passed.

FIFA set to make U-turn on Laporte transfer

Athletic and Laporte had appealed the matter, alleging that the fault lay with Al-Nassr, who failed to upload all of the relevant documents in time. Previous precedents had indicated that FIFA were unlikely to go back on their original decision, but Cadena SER explain that Athletic have received a call from the governing body indicating that the appeal may be successful.