Athletic Bilbao have started taking member and partner queries via instant messaging services WhatsApp and Telegram, reports, www.sportspromedia.com/.

The La Liga outfit rolled out the new channel of communication on Monday, asking users to add a publicly available number that will only respond to enquiries only from members registered on their database.

In theory, the service allows Athletic fans secure contact with the club over the messaging services' encrypted servers, as well as cutting out network fees for international queries.