When the transfer window opens, to some extent, anything can happen. Sometimes, moves have already been finalised with contracts already being signed to another club. On the other hand, clubs may express an interest in signing a player and will put all their focus on signing him. In ths current window, Barcelona were doing everything they could to sign Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams. That move fell through as the player has signed a new contract to stay at Athletic Bilbao. This has infuriated Barcelona.
Nico Williams’ transfer to Barcelona broke down because the player wanted an exit clause inserted into his contract in case they couldn't register him — and the Catalan club refused. With key personal terms already verbally agreed, the deal was sunk when the 22-year-old’s representatives made the request and Barcelona’s sporting director, Deco, said the club wouldn't sanction it; despite having done so with other signings in the recent past, including Dani Olmo.
Williams’ camp wanted a guarantee that Barca would be able to register him to be eligible to play by 20 August, just after the first La Liga matchday of the 2025-26 season. Barça have often struggled to register new signings in time for the start of the season in recent years — with Olmo’s only secured thanks to a court ruling last term.
This development, late on Thursday, was just one of several twists in a long-running transfer saga, one that significantly raised the temperature in an already tense relationship between Barca and Athletic Club. Williams himself, meanwhile, faced personal abuse and recrimination as negotiations brought him to the brink of a €58million move (£50m; $68.3m) — before it ultimately all collapsed.
When news emerged of Williams’ decision to commit to a new 10-year contract at Athletic on Friday morning, with a higher release clause, it caused shock among several members of the Barca first team, some of whom are among Williams’ best friends in the game. Club senior executives found out about the news through social media, with Athletic’s video announcing the deal hastily filmed with Williams the night before.
It was a truly dramatic turnaround that appeared to many to come out of nowhere.
Despite strong links with Barcelona, Williams surprisingly renewed his contract with Athletic Club. As per Cadanaser, Barcelona claim Williams himself had approached them, expressing a desire to join the Blaugrana. The Catalan club had already reached an agreement with the player on financial terms and contract length. However, Williams' agent, Felix Tainta, introduced a new demand: a "free release clause" in his Barcelona contract and a specific July registration date that Barcelona's board considered "unacceptable," leading to the collapse of the transfer.
It looked like they would finally land their target this year, with Athletic even complaining to La Liga last week about Barça's finances in a bid to scupper the deal. The deal was presumed to be so far along that even Athletic fans had turned on Williams, twice defacing a mural in which he appears in recent weeks.
Williams' rejection is a public setback for Barcelona's transfer strategy and financial management. The club had openly signalled its intent to sign Williams, with Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, even hinting at an "exciting next signing." The agent's demand for a "free release clause" underscores the ongoing concerns about Barcelona's ability to navigate La Liga's Financial Fair Play "1:1 rule" and the risks associated with major signings.
The "1:1 rule" states that a club can only spend on sports salaries as much as their income and accounts allow. LaLiga calculates a limit (LCPD) taking into account the club's expected income and remaining expenses, such as non-sports salaries or management expenses. This limit is compared to already committed salaries (CPD). If the limit is higher, the club can sign and renew players. Otherwise, no new additions can be registered.
On Friday morning, Athletic Club made the surprise announcement that Williams had signed a new contract with his boyhood club. The 22-year-old was expected to be announced as a new Barcelona player in the coming weeks, with reports suggesting that the Catalan side had agreed to personal terms with Williams. The Spain international has signed a massive 10-year deal at San Mames until the summer of 2035.
Williams said: "When you have to make decisions, for me, what weights most is the heart," Williams said in a video released on Athletic's social media channels which shows him spray paint '2035' on to the defaced mural.
"When it comes to making decisions, the most important thing is to listen to your heart. I am in the place where I want to be, with my people. This is my home. Aupa Athletic!"
Athletic Club have been involved in what can only be described as a spat with Barcelona since last summer; however, it was this season where the real throw-down took place between the two La Liga sides. After Barcelona pushed on to try and sign Williams this summer, Athletic reached out to La Liga to inspect the Catalan side's finances. Having confirmed Williams' extension, Athletic included a dig at Barcelona as they added a hashtag which read: AthleticWIN.
The deal, which extends the contract by eight years and swells the release clause by 50%, is "a resounding success," faced with "dizzying offers" for the 22-year-old, the club said in a statement on Friday.
He revealed last year Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde had been pressuring him to join Barça last summer, with Yamal also posting several Instagram stories related to Williams recently as Barça tried to sign him. Barça will now have to pursue other players after Deco told ESPN in May that signing a winger to take the load off Yamal and Raphinha was the club's priority this summer.
Liverpool's Luis Díaz is also a target but the Premier League champions have knocked back approaches from both Barça and Bayern Munich for the Colombian. Manchester United's Marcus Rashford is another option, with the English forward saying recently he "hopes" to be able to play alongside Yamal one day.
It's definitely a case of tough luck for Barcelona. They should've accepted the one demand that Williams wanted. It could be said that Barcelona had the player at the palm of their hands. I'd say it's their fault for this happening.
The good news is that they have other targets. They should probably target Marcus Rashford for two reasons: 1) he's available on the market and 2) he's pretty much begging the club to sign him.