Nico Williams has put FC Barcelona in a tight spot. After intense weeks of talks and negotiations, the 22-year-old winger has reportedly decided to continue playing in Bilbao next season. This is what the Euro 2024 winner reportedly said with a video posted on social media where he said: "I'm back, really looking forward to this season... Come on Athletic."
This has closed the door for the culé team, who miss out on the "signing of the summer." The good news is that they have secured the transfer of Dani Olmo, so not all is lost, although they will have to evaluate another option to reinforce the attack. The main alternative at the moment would be the Portuguese, Joao Félix, who is currently training with Atletico Madrid, despite the fact that both parties want to break the contract that binds them.
The Portuguese was always clear that he did not want to leave Barcelona after the end of his loan agreement. However, the Blaugrana board put negotiations with the Colchoneros on hold to focus on Williams and Olmo. Now, they will have to consider talking again to see if it is possible to agree on another loan, since they do not have the financial capacity to pay the 45 million euros that the Madrid team is asking for his transfer.
Atlético wants to sell Félix
Although Atlético's coach, Diego Simeone, does not count on the former Benfica player, the board does not want to make another loan agreement either. In fact, they would have planned to sell him in order to secure the signing of Julián Álvarez or even offer him to Manchester City to lighten the transfer price of the Argentine. Therefore, it will be a matter of time to know if the Colchoneros will be forced, or not, to negotiate again with Barcelona.