Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte has insisted that he does not feel priced out of the transfer market by his €50m release clause.
The defender remains a reported target for a number of European heavyweights, including treble holders Barcelona, but extended his contract with Los Leones until 2019 last summer, and he is “delighted” his club value him so highly.
“The club and I are delighted with my price,” he told Onda Vasca.
“My contract with Athletic has changed in line with my growth. They took a chance on me and I’ve repaid them.
“We’ve since reached a figure [€50m] that we felt was very good and both parties are happy.
“I’ve been saying for the past two years that I’m focused on Athletic and not thinking about anything else.
“[On his international future], I’m still playing with [France] Under-21s.
“The Coach of the senior team hasn’t called me yet, and the truth is that I’m enthusiastic about making the step-up.
“I have plenty of time to reach the national team and will wait for [Didier] Deschamps’ call because I’m calm, young and I have years ahead of me.
“However, if for some reason I don’t get the opportunity to represent France because they don’t want me, then I’ll have to consider other options.
“[My objective for the season is] to win the Europa League, which is a very exciting tournament for us.
“We can do great things because we have the team for them.”
