Is Nico Williams moving away from Barça? Athletic accelerates his renewal

Published New:5/06/2025 - 15:47h

Updated New:5/06/2025 - 15:48h

Athletic is already negotiating with Nico Williams and complicating his signing for Barça. The Basque club wants to secure him with a millionaire contract and a new clause

The possible arrival of Nico Williams to FC Barcelona could become much more complex than expected. Although the Blaugrana team continues in the active search for a top-level left winger to reinforce their offensive front, and the name of the Pamplona forward is still present on the agenda —despite last summer's 'soap opera'—, new information adds an extra level of difficulty to his possible incorporation into the Culé team.

Athletic Club is already negotiating the renewal of Nico Williams

According to reports from the United Kingdom, specifically the media talkSPORT, Athletic Club has already started conversations with Nico Williams to renew his contract. A situation that, if materialized, would seriously complicate Barça's options of acquiring the Spanish international.

Until now, one of the main attractions of signing Nico Williams was his release clause, set at around €58M, a relatively accessible amount given his projection and performance. However, according to the aforementioned British source, the possible contractual extension would entail an increase in said clause, although the new amount has not yet been revealed. This change could pose a serious obstacle for Barcelona and other interested clubs.

In addition to the increase in the exit clause, the new agreement would include a substantial salary improvement: up to 10 million euros per season, which would establish Nico as one of the highest-paid players in the Athletic Club squad, alongside his brother Iñaki Williams.

Athletic wants to retain its star for the Champions League

With this renewal, the 'Lions' would take a firm step in their goal of keeping Nico Williams as a key piece of the project. This was made clear by their president, Jon Uriarte, in a recent appearance before the media:

"Maintaining talent is fundamental for our philosophy and the project we are forming is an interesting challenge for players like Nico. I think the season ahead is very beautiful for him"

Likewise, Uriarte also acknowledged that it is normal for the most talented players to generate interest from other clubs, and stressed the importance of having an attractive project:

"We are very happy with the squad we have and when you have that level of talent it is normal for your players to be linked to other teams and it is even positive. We are comfortable with it. For us it is fundamental to retain talent, even more so with the philosophy we have and our limitations to sign players. What is done to retain them? Have an attractive project," he began by saying.

"They all have an incredible love for the club, but their careers are limited and there is a possibility that some may consider certain things if they do not find the sporting challenges here. And also offer them economic amounts that are competitive with what the market pays for them. Talent is paid for. What needs to be done is to maintain a winning and ambitious project," he concluded.

Nico Williams in the match between Athletic Club and CA Osasuna in LaLiga EA Sports 2024/25

For his part, the club's sporting director, Mikel González, reaffirmed the institutional position during the presentation of the 2024/25 season balance:

"Talent retention is fundamental. We have a high-level squad and the goal is to retain them all. Our work with Nico, and with everyone, is to maintain conversations with them and their agents, regardless of the duration of their contracts"

Nico Williams, between love for Athletic and Barça's interest

Taking all this into account, it would not be surprising if the renewal of Nico Williams with Athletic Club materializes in the coming weeks. The winger has always shown a deep connection with the Basque team, which will now also play in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26, an important incentive to convince him to stay.

A renewal that would distance him, at least for now, from wearing the FC Barcelona shirt, a club that continues to value him, although they no longer consider him a priority as happened last summer. It should be remembered that the Culé team intends to fully pursue the incorporation of Luis Díaz from Liverpool, without removing other equally interesting names from circulation such as Ademola Lookman from Atalanta or Rafael Leão from AC Milan.