Asier Villalibre departs from Athletic and signs with Alavés. The move was expected as he hadn't trained with Athletic since the preseason started. Villalibre returns to Alavés, where he played the latter half of the 2022-23 season. The deal includes a fixed fee, performance-based variables, and a percentage of future sales. Villalibre had one year remaining on his contract in Bilbao, but his involvement last season was minimal. He has signed a long-term deal until 2028. Villalibre is celebrated at Mendizorrotza, having scored the crucial penalty in the playoff final that promoted Alavés to Primera.

Asier Villalibre did not train with his teammates today in Lezama. He had permission from Athletic to be absent, sparking rumors about his future. Alavés, which had Villalibre on loan a couple of seasons ago, has shown interest in having him back. Sergio Fernández, Alavés' sporting director, reiterated this interest when asked about Villalibre.