Athletic Club Bilbao have a recruitment policy which dictates they can only sign Basque players, or those with very strong connections to the region. This gives the club a limited pool of talent to work from and means they can never dismiss a transfer target fully.
It’s also the reason Athletic are so tough on players leaving the club and, if it’s someone they want to keep, will stick by the release clause completely.
Manchester United found this out with Ander Herrera, and now it’s claimed the Basque club are interested in taking the player back. Herrera’s contract at Old Trafford was due to expire this summer but the club activated their one year extension clause.
Spanish newspaper AS claim Athletic had wanted to take advantage of the situation and proposed a deal to the midfielder which would have seen him become the club’s best paid player.
Alas, the extension ruined what would have been a somewhat surprise return. Now the idea is out there, and Athletic on the prowl, so it wouldn’t be so crazy for the 28 year old to make the move next year.
Although it’s worth stating Herrera isn’t an Athletic Club Bilbao fan, Real Zaragoza is the club of his heart.
