Iker Muniain signs contract extension with Athletic Bilbao; includes €45M buyout clause

Iker Muniain is staying put in the Basque Country.

Athletic Bilbao announced Monday that the 22-year-old forward has inked a two-year contract extension with the club, which ties him to the San Mames through the 2019 season.

Perhaps more importantly - given that Muniain had been the subject of transfer rumours before rupturing the ACL in his left knee in April - Bilbao revealed that the new contract includes a €45-million buyout clause that will need to be met should any club come snooping around to sign the Spaniard.

Muniain has been a part of Bilbao's first team since 2009, when he made the jump from the youth program to the senior squad at the age of 16.