The Basque side tried to bring in Laporte on September 1, but the transfer deadline had passed. FIFA had previously rejected a request from the Spanish football federation to make an exception for Laporte's move.

However, after the Spanish federation sought to overturn the decision, FIFA has now granted the request. This means that Athletic Bilbao can proceed with registering Laporte once the necessary documents are obtained.

Athletic Club has confirmed that FIFA has authorized the Spanish federation to obtain the International Transfer Certificate from the Saudi Arabian football federation.

Once the certificate is issued, Laporte can be registered with Athletic Bilbao. The 31-year-old defender left Athletic in 2018 to join Manchester City, before moving to Al Nassr in 2023.