REAL-ATHLETIC
Illarramendi: "I don't want to play for Athletic"
The central midfielder's release clause drops by €5 million in the summer but Asier Illarramendi is not concerned with that and says he is happy at Real Sociedad.
Asier Illarramendi has brushed aside the possibility of him wearing the Athletic Club shirt with the Basque derby approaching. "I'm happy at la Real and I don't want to play for Athletic, I dn't see myself in an Athletic jersey," he said.
"I know that I won't play for Athletic, I'm happy at la Real," he continued.
The central midfielder has a contract at Real Sociedad until 2021 with a release clause of €40 million that, curiously, drops to €35 million in June. "How much more is €40 million that €35 million, I have no intention to move from here," he said as he downplayed the drop in his release clause in the interview with Diario Vasco.
One player who did switch allegiance recently was Iñigo Martinez. Illara says, "I know him well and I got the impression that he wasn't very happy. Athletic came in for him and he left," he says. "I tried to convince him but he wasn't turning back," says the 28-year-old.
After a failed move to Real Madrid, Illarramendi has rediscovered some of his better form this season and is on Borussia Dortmund's agenda according to some reports.
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