According to Diario AS, Racing Santander has abandoned its pursuit of Agirrezabala due to excessive financial demands from Athletic Club. The club is currently monitoring Barcelona goalkeeper Aron Yaakobishvili, though a potential loan deal also faces significant hurdles as Barcelona still includes him in their first-team plans.

Racing Santander has completed six signings in the summer transfer window to strengthen their squad for the 2026/27 season, but the club plans to sign approximately six more players and needs replacements for Puerta and Salinas. Since the beginning of summer, sporting director Chema Aragón has been seeking high-level players capable of competing for starting positions, with the goalkeeper role identified as a key priority for reinforcement.

Among the goalkeepers initially scouted by Racing Santander, Agirrezabala from Athletic Club was the primary target. The goalkeeper was loaned to Valencia last season and is not in Terzic's plans for the new campaign. Athletic Club prefers to use Unai Simón and Padilla, with Mikel Santos as third choice. The Rentería native has not featured in pre-season matches and was not included in the squad list.

After months of negotiations, Racing Santander abandoned the deal due to Athletic Club's unaffordable financial conditions. Athletic Club demanded a high transfer fee while only offering 50% ownership of the player, which Racing Santander considered unreasonable by market standards. Valencia's loan agreement with Agirrezabala included a 12 million euro buyout clause.

Chema Aragón commented publicly on the failed transfer: "Agirrezabala was indeed our first choice, and the player, his agent, and Athletic Club all knew this. However, according to Athletic Club's proposal, this deal is not financially viable, so we have now turned our attention to other targets."

The goalkeeper market has proven challenging. Among potential targets on Racing Santander's list, Villarreal loaned Diego Conde to Real Betis, and Real Madrid sold Fran González from León to Sevilla. Sevilla paid approximately 3 million euros for 50% ownership of Fran González, with Real Madrid retaining a buy-back clause.

According to Diario AS, Racing Santander is now monitoring Aron Yaakobishvili and considering a loan move. However, the deal is difficult to execute. Yaakobishvili is currently training with Barcelona's first team under manager Hansi Flick. Following Ter Stegen's move to Ajax, Barcelona continues to view the young goalkeeper as part of their squad plans.

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