The Spanish defender Emerick Laporte, from Al-Nassr, is awaiting a decision from the International Football Federation (FIFA) concerning his transfer to Athletic Bilbao, after the deal stalled in the final hours of the last summer transfer window, according to the newspaper 'El Correo'.

Bilbao's management had reached an agreement with Al-Nassr to purchase the remaining part of Laporte's contract for 10 million euros, while the player was set to receive an annual salary of 4 million euros after tax deductions.

However, the deal collapsed at the last moment due to Al-Nassr's failure to send the necessary official documents to the Spanish club, forcing both parties to await FIFA's decision to determine the possibility of registering the defender in Bilbao's roster.

The newspaper confirmed that a delegation from Bilbao will head to Zurich to hold a meeting with FIFA officials, with clear support from the Spanish Football Federation to complete the deal, especially since the player has been excluded from the plans of Al-Nassr's coach Jorge Jesus.

'El Correo' explained that any approval from FIFA will later require the endorsement of the European Football Association (UEFA) for Laporte to participate with Bilbao in the ongoing UEFA Champions League season.

At the same time, the newspaper 'Marca' reported that the Basque club is preparing all legal avenues to register the player, confirming that if FIFA rejects the request, Bilbao will head directly to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to present its case.