Laporte: “My sole objective was to return to Athletic”

Aymeric Laporte saluted the fans at San Mames after the Athletic Club vs Alaves match and then held a conference to talk about his move back to Bilbao.

The defender is back at Athletic after a slight protacted transfer which saw him join the club after the official deadline.

"My sole objective was to return to Athletic," Laporte said.

"Many clubs told me they wanted to sign me for large sums of money, but I only wanted to play here."

He also spoke about the delay with his transfer: "It's been a long process. I wanted it to be quicker, but in the end it's turned out okay. I want to thank everyone, the board, everyone who's worked to get me here. I'm very happy."

Laporte stepped on to the pitch at San Mames with his family after full-time.

He said: "Being in the stands and listening to the anthem gives you goose bumps. It's a unique feeling. When I went to Lezama, I smelled that scent from my childhood again. When I walked on to the pitch, I felt the support of the fans."

The defender hopes to be 100% as soon as possible, but said he wants to make sure he's ready.

"I feel very good physically, but that has to be proven on the pitch," he added

"I'm going to give it my all and hopefully we can bring a lot of joy to the team and the fans."

Before concluding the press conference, Aymeric wanted to send a message to all the people who have helped him return to Athletic.

He said: "I would like to thank Jon Berasategi, Kepa, Carlos, my wife and two children... and I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot of people.

"The RFEF, its president and Luis de la Fuente... all those people who have helped in the process."