Laporte’s transfer to Athletic Bilbao is blocked by FIFA.

FIFA, the organization that oversees world football, denied Athletic Bilbao permission to sign defender Aymeric Laporte, the Spanish team announced on Wednesday.

According to Spanish media, the paperwork was submitted late, and the Basque team claimed that their attempt to recruit him from Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr on September 1 was unsuccessful due to “external factors beyond (Athletic’s) control.”