Racing Santander close in on Julen Agirrezabala dealRacing Santander have reached a verbal agreement with Athletic Club to sign goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala, according to comuniate.com. The move would see the Rentera-born keeper leave Bilbao to become Racings new number one as the Cantabrian club prepares for its return to LaLiga EA Sports.A goalkeeper seeking regular footballAgirrezabala has spent much of his Athletic career behind Unai Simn, though he has shown flashes of real quality when called upon, particularly in the Copa del Rey and Europa League. Last season he went out on loan to Valencia, where injuries disrupted his campaign and prevented him from establishing himself as an undisputed starter.Racing see him as the man to replace Jokin Ezkieta, who has departed for Cdiz, giving Jos Albertos side a goalkeeper with genuine top-flight and continental experience for their first season back among the elite in 14 years.Athletic soften their stanceThe talks took an unexpected turn in recent days. During the presentation of Yassir Zabiri, Racing sporting director Chema Aragn publicly acknowledged the clubs interest in Agirrezabala but said Athletics economic demands made the deal unworkable at the time.Since then, negotiations have moved quickly, with the two clubs narrowing the gap between their positions until arriving at a verbal agreement. Athletic appear to have relaxed their conditions to facilitate the goalkeepers exit.What this means for both clubsFor Racing, landing a goalkeeper of Agirrezabalas pedigree in a position considered a priority would represent one of the more significant coups of a summer in which the club has already been busy strengthening its squad. He would arrive with a clear path to first-team football, something he was unable to secure consistently at either Bilbao or Valencia.For Athletic, a move for Agirrezabala would further reshape the clubs goalkeeping group after his loan spell at Valencia, with Simn remaining the established first choice.What happens nextThe deal is not yet official, and both clubs will need to iron out the final financial and contractual details before any announcement. Racings fanbase will be hoping the verbal agreement translates into a formal signing without complications in the coming days, closing out a position the club has treated as urgent ahead of its LaLiga return.