Athletic renew contract of young defender Laporte

 　　MADRID, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Athletic¹ Club Bilbao this Monday announced that young central defender², Aymeric Laporte has extended his contract with them until the end of June 2016.

　　The extended deal is a reward for the exceptional form the 18- year-old has shown since being promoted into the first team squad³ at the start of the year.

　　He has made eight first team appearances, the last of which was in Sunday's 3-0 drubbing of second place Atletico Madrid on Sunday night.

　　Laporte, who has come from the Athletic youth system, was playing in the club's third team last season, but such is his progression that he can now be considered first choice in the team.

　　As a result the club has moved fast to ensure he doesn't leave in the near future, extending his contract from 2015 to 2016 and upping his buyout clause from an accessible 18 million Euros (24 million US dollars) to 27 million Euros (36 million dollars).

　　Indeed Laporte's new contract comes just 42 days after he signed his first professional contract with the club.

　　The arrival of the young defender, who was born in the French part of the Basque Region, has come at the right time given that the club's experienced Venezuelan international defender, Fernando Amorebieta has yet to sign a new deal and could leave for nothing at the end of the current season, the same as striker Fernando Llorente, who last week agreed terms to join Italian giants, Juventus at the end of the current campaign.

　　Neither Llorente nor Amorebieta were played in Sunday's match. Llorente was suffering from a knee problem, while Amorebieta was left out for 'technical reasons.'

　　Elsewhere, Rayo Vallecano have signed left back Anaitz Arbilla from second division Hercules, while Malaga are on the verge⁴ of extending the deal of their Spain Under-21 midfielder, Izco. Izco is wanted by several top sides in Europe and although a new deal may not ensure he stays long term at Malaga, it will at least guarantee the club a lucrative⁵ payday.

1 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

2 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

3 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

4 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

5 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。