Athletic set £1.7m price tag for Izeta as January exit looms
Bilbao striker Izeta faces winter window departure with several Segunda División clubs circling, but Athletic will only sanction immediate exit for transfer fee
Athletic Club are ready to offload striker Izeta this January, but only if the price is right as multiple Segunda División clubs circle the 26-year-old.
Exit strategy
The Basque outfit have made their position crystal clear - Izeta is surplus to requirements at San Mamés and they’ve got multiple offers on the table for the Guipuzcoan forward whose contract runs until 2027.
While he hasn’t looked out of place during his limited first-team appearances, gaffer Ernesto Valverde has other plans up his sleeve. The current attacking pecking order sees Guruzeta, Iñaki Williams and Berenguer all ahead of him, and that trio will soon become a quartet when Maroan completes his recovery from knee surgery.
Show me the money
The winter transfer window swings open on January 2nd and Athletic aren’t exactly rushing to get this deal over the line. They’re playing it cool as ice, confident something will materialise before the February 2nd deadline.
However, there’s a proper condition attached - Athletic will only sanction an immediate departure if one of the interested parties stumps up the cash. They’ve slapped a price tag of around €2 million (£1.7m) on Izeta’s head for a permanent transfer, which would require the player to negotiate fresh terms with his new employers.
Options on the table
So far, none of the suitors have approached Ibaigane headquarters with that kind of bread, though it remains an option they’re considering. The most common proposal from the half-dozen Segunda División clubs tracking him has been a loan deal.
Oviedo and Alavés are also keeping tabs on the situation, both hunting for a budget-friendly attacking option. Like their Segunda counterparts, neither is currently prepared to splash the cash on a permanent deal.
Playing the waiting game
If no club meets the asking price, Athletic are prepared to drag their heels until the dying embers of the transfer window. They’d much rather send him out on loan with a purchase option than a straight temporary stint with no future benefit.
The player himself is weighing up his options before communicating his preferences to Athletic. Interestingly, while Valverde is happy to let him leave, he won’t stand in Izeta’s way should the striker decide none of the offers tickle his fancy and opt to see out the season in Bilbao.