Spanish Media: Barcelona Have Effectively Abandoned Nico Williams; Club Lacks Funds to Register Him

According to reports from Spanish outlets such as Cadena COPE, AS, and Mundo Deportivo, the likelihood of Nico Williams joining Barcelona is becoming increasingly slim, with the club having effectively decided that they will not be able to bring in this player.

Cadena COPE highlights that Barcelona currently lacks sufficient funds to register Nico Williams. AS believes that the failure of Barcelona to sign Nico Williams can be attributed to the pressure exerted by Athletic Bilbao on the player. Mundo Deportivo adds that Athletic Bilbao might extend Nico Williams’ contract and raise his release clause to €100 million.

On Tuesday afternoon, there was a significant shift in the deal for Nico Williams to move to Barcelona. Almost simultaneously, multiple Spanish media outlets reported that the chances of the Euro contributor leaving Athletic Bilbao are dwindling. In fact, it seems more likely that Barcelona will bring in Olmo from Leipzig.

Flick’s desire to secure Nico Williams faces numerous obstacles. While Barcelona might find the funds to pay Nico’s €58 million release clause, they do not have enough money to register him. The same issue applies to the registration of Vitinho Roque, Iñigo Martínez, and Lenglet.

AS suggests that Barcelona attributes this situation to the pressure Nico Williams is experiencing at San Mamés. Interestingly, just days ago, Athletic Bilbao complained about excessive pressure from Barcelona on Nico Williams, due to constant inquiries about his transfer during the team’s training camp in Germany by Barcelona’s media.

Mundo Deportivo adds that Athletic Bilbao plans to extend Nico Williams’ contract and increase his release clause to €100 million, which is unacceptable for Barcelona. The club has already communicated its displeasure to Nico Williams, who is currently leaning towards playing another season at Athletic Bilbao and reconsidering his future in the summer of 2025, a timeline that does not align with what Barcelona had hoped for.