Barça or Athletic? This is the endless 'soap opera' Nico Williams

The days go by, and FC Barcelona still has no certainty about the option of having the brand-new signing of Nico Williams for the 2024/25 season. What is the reason? The incorporation of the talented left-winger from Pamplona, ​​who shone in the recent Euro 2024 with the Spanish national team, is apparently at a standstill, generating uncertainty due to the hermetic silence of the forward.

At this moment, what worries the Barça team the most is the unquestionable fact that, despite the rumors about the imminent regularization of the financial fair play situation of LaLiga, which would allow the club to operate normally in terms of the 1/1 rule, the reality is that, until this is made official, the Barcelona team is tied hands to launch a serious offensive for the Navarrese. It should be remembered that his exit price is valued at €58 million, in accordance with his termination clause, which could rise to €62 million if adjustments for the CPI (Consumer Price Index) are included.

The complexities surrounding the possible incorporation of Nico Williams to FC Barcelona

Not only that, the Catalans also face the challenge of building the financial muscle necessary to carry out this acquisition. At the same time, they must find the means to register him in La Liga, a process that, according to various sources, could involve assuming net emoluments for the player between €7.5 and €11 million, an amount that would be difficult to fit into Barcelona's current salary structure, which is seeking to reduce this section.

Now, considering the current situation, Barça maintains the hope of securing the services of Nico Williams this summer window. However, unless they resolve the problems mentioned above, they have fewer and fewer options of successfully completing this complex transaction. This is especially evident if we consider that the 'Lions', who own his contract until 2027, have shown a certain serenity regarding the winger's situation, demonstrating confidence in their campaign to retain him for another summer in Bilbao.

At this point, the Basques' confidence in retaining the left-winger for the 2024/25 season seems to be such that they hope that on August 12 he will rejoin the dynamics of the Bilbao team in Lezama, after a vacation period of approximately three weeks after winning the European Championship with Spain. His return will show his intentions, having made clear at all times his desire to leave on good terms with the team that trained him and took him to the top of football.

In addition, the Athletic Club's desire to retain Nico Williams and avoid his departure at any price is so strong that it is rumored that they are considering renewing his contract again. The objective would be to establish a new termination clause of €100 million, increasing it from the current €58 million. This move could discourage the interest of other clubs and hinder the plans of the Barça squad, at least in the short term and possibly during 2025, unless they manage to negotiate with the 'Lions' to obtain a more favorable price.

The future of the Pamplona native is between FC Barcelona and Athletic

Fortunately, despite the influence that Athletic Club seems to have in retaining the left-winger, FC Barcelona seems to have been left as the only contender against the Basque team, since the other clubs have lost momentum. One of them was Paris Saint-Germain, which surprisingly joined the race for the Pamplona native, offering as its main attraction a solid economic proposal, a tactic that PSG usually uses to 'seduce' the players it seeks to incorporate into its squad. However, as we recently commented on FCBN, this option would apparently have been ruled out mainly because the '17' of 'La Roja' wants to continue developing his football career in Spain.

In addition to this, it is important to remember that the youngest of the Williams brothers rejected offers from the Premier League, such as those from Aston Villa and Chelsea, which were financially more attractive than that of FC Barcelona. In turn, the Catalan squad has explained his sporting conditions and hopes that, beyond the prestige of wearing the Barça shirt, the player also values ​​the sporting project of Barça, which has a significant number of players with whom he has a good connection, including Lamine Yamal, his 'bro' with whom he has demonstrated a lethal connection on the field and a special relationship off it.

However, as mentioned above, the pressure from Athletic Club to retain the player remains relevant, a factor that could be considered due to the prominent role they offer him and, of course, the fact that the Basques participate in European competitions this 24/25 season, with the serious option of playing the Europa League final at San Mamés. This could be a great boost for Nico, who could be getting closer to breaking the silence that has been generated by all this speculation about his figure and his future, which confirms that this summer is being quite busy around the Pamplona native.