Inigo Martinez will join Athletic after paying €32M termination clause

Inigo Martinez is heading for the exit at Real Sociedad.

On Tuesday, Athletic Club announced that Martinez will join Los Leones once his contract expires by virtue of depositing €32 million, the termination clause’s value, at the Liga de Futbol Profesional’s headquarters. The Basque defender will sign a deal valid until June 30, 2023, with the cancellation clause valued at €80 million.

Real Sociedad later announced that Martinez had his contract terminated after matching his release clause at La Liga’s office, thereby ending his relationship with the Txuri-urdinak.

The announcements were made on the same day that Manchester City signed Aymeric Laporte in a transfer worth €65 million.

Martinez, who is a product of Real Sociedad, is swapping one Basque club for another. At a time when football is more globalised than ever, Athetic continues to succeed as a club whose squad is made up entirely of Basque footballers.