Athletic covers Nico Williams' departure with a former Barça player!

In Bilbao, they are beginning to consider Nico Williams as lost. The winger has directly communicated to Athletic his desire to sign for FC Barcelona, and the Basque board has already signed who could replace him on the left side of the field.

As the first reinforcement of the summer, the 'lions' have announced the signing of Robert Navarro, who signed for five seasons after ending his contract with Mallorca. The Catalan midfielder can play without problems on either wing and as an attacking midfielder, although he feels more comfortable on the left.

In 24/25, the 23-year-old player played 23 matches (1,396 minutes) with Jagoba Arrasate's team, scoring 1 goal and providing 3 assists. The '27' missed the last two months of competition due to an adductor injury and, finally, left with a letter of freedom from Mallorca, where he only played for one season.

Robert Navarro, a former Barça player with the mission of replacing Nico Williams

Navarro is a former Barça player, where he spent five years (reaching Cadete A) until he left for Monaco. Afterwards, he played for Real Sociedad and Cádiz before arriving at the Balearic team. Now, Robert will have the mission of replacing Nico Williams, once the signing of the '10' by the Blaugrana team is completed.

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Nico Williams: Barça already points to a key date for the payment of his clause

The Culés hope to have the 58 million euros net from his clause next week to close what will be the star reinforcement of the summer. In Bilbao, the annoyance with Barça and the player is enormous, as Athletic believes that the Blaugrana team has exerted extra pressure on the player from Pamplona to force his departure.

"I think what Deco said is terrible. Athletic has made it very clear: 'Do you want to pay the clause? Pay it all at once'. What Deco did is unnecessary," commented the former player of the Bilbao team, Rafael Alkorta, about the situation of the younger of the Williams brothers, alluding to the statements of the Culé sporting director about Nico's desire to play for Barça.

The Catalan club, however, has handled the negotiation correctly, as it has been the player himself through his agent, Félix Tainta, who has done what is necessary to convince Barcelona to resume his signing.

Barça and Athletic find market solutions

The Blaugrana team seemed to lean towards the Luis Díaz option a couple of weeks ago, but finally it will be the '10' of Athletic who reinforces the attack of Hansi Flick's team. The operation will close at almost 62 'kilos', including the CPI, a reasonable price considering that the Spanish international still has two years of contract to fulfill.

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58 M€ for Nico Williams: A bargain in an inflated Market?

Ernesto Valverde's team will return to the Champions League in 25/26, but they will have to compete without their main figure. Will Robert Navarro be the ideal winger to make people forget Nico Williams in San Mamés? Athletic, for now, feels confident in having closed a great reinforcement at 'zero cost'.

"Despite his youth, he has great experience in professional football. Technically brilliant, with a lot of handling and skill and great driving with both legs. He feels comfortable starting from either wing, although much of his game is in interior areas," commented the sporting director of the 'lions', Mikel González.