NICO WILLIAMS' RENEWAL
The Williams brothers earn as much as the rest of the Athletic players combined!
Published New:9/07/2025 - 12:07h
Updated New:9/07/2025 - 12:07h
Nico Williams' renewal until 2035 generates tension in Bilbao and raises suspicions about Tebas. The Williams brothers concentrate 47% of Athletic's budget.
Nico Williams' renewal with Athletic Club has unleashed an internal earthquake in San Mamés. With a salary that reaches 10 million euros net per year and a duration until 2035, the young winger becomes the highest-paid player in the club's history, profoundly altering its traditional salary model.
Behind this decision, a game of interests, external pressures, and institutional maneuvers emerges, involving FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and, controversially, Javier Tebas. Miguel Galán's accusations against the president of LaLiga for his alleged interference in the operation only fuel a fire that transcends sports.
Nico Williams, the most expensive renewal in Athletic's history
Athletic Club broke all its molds by ensuring Nico Williams' continuity until June 30, 2035. The agreement, which began to take shape in early 2024, includes a progressive salary that starts at 8 million euros per year and will escalate to 10 million. This is an unprecedented figure in the history of the red and white club, whose financial policy had until now been exemplary in salary containment.
The renewal also includes a release clause that ranges between 87 and 95 million euros. A legal barrier that aims to deter the interest of major clubs such as FC Barcelona, Bayern, or PSG, who had shown a strong interest in the Spanish international.
The comparative grievance: the Williams duo and the internal imbalance
Nico Williams alone represents 22% of the total salary mass of Athletic's first team. If his brother Iñaki is added, the Williams brothers concentrate 47% of the budget allocated to salaries. Never before has a duo accumulated so much economic power within the San Mamés dressing room.
This imbalance has caused internal tensions, both in the board and in the dressing room. Historical players and key pieces of the club have seen how their remuneration falls far below the new standard imposed. An Athletic that prided itself on equity and sustainability now seems to have mortgaged its model in favor of a star.
The Williams duo dominates Athletic's salary mass
Nico Williams' renewal considerably modifies the club's salary balance. The following table shows the five main salaries of Athletic Club:
| Player | Annual Salary (€) | % on the salary mass |
|---|---|---|
| Iñaki Williams | 11,400,000 | 25% |
| Nico Williams | 10,420,000* | 22% |
| Unai Simón | 4,280,000 | 9% |
| Yuri Berchiche | 4,280,000 | 9% |
| Dani Vivian | 3,130,000 | 7% |
*Estimated salary after renewal. Source: Capology
Historical context: a before and after for Athletic
Nico Williams' renewal symbolizes a clear break with Athletic Club's traditional conservative salary policy, setting a historical precedent by approaching the economic offers of European giants.
Top 5 historical salaries Athletic Club
- Iñaki Williams (2024-present): €11,400,000
- Nico Williams (2025-present): €10,000,000
- Ander Herrera (2023-present): €6,150,000
- Unai Simón (2021-present): €4,100,000
- Yuri Berchiche (2017-present): €4,000,000
The role of FC Barcelona and the use of its name in the negotiation
During the moments prior to the renewal, the name of FC Barcelona was used insistently as negotiating pressure. There was talk of a pre-agreement between Nico Williams and the Blaugrana club: six-year contract and salary between 7 and 8 million net per season.
However, the agreement was broken after a series of movements that generated distrust. And it seems that this break was not accidental. Sources close to the case assure that possible information leaked by Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, played a decisive role.
Serious accusations: Javier Tebas and the alleged leak
Miguel Galán, president of CENAFE, has accused Javier Tebas of sharing confidential financial information of FC Barcelona with Athletic Club. Among the data revealed would be:
According to Galán, this information was "oversized" to generate fear in Nico Williams' family, with the aim of removing him from the culé project. In his words, it was "a deliberate strategy to avoid his signing for Barcelona."
An agreement broken by distrust. Nico's environment asked for guarantees that FC Barcelona was not willing to grant. The Catalan club, limited by financial fair play, chose not to force an operation that was already perceived as contaminated by outside interests. The result: the agreement was broken and the player ended up signing his continuity with Athletic.
Galán denounces a political pact between Tebas and Athletic
Galán's accusations are not limited to the failed operation. He maintains that there is a broader pact between Javier Tebas and Athletic Club. As part of the agreement, the Basque club would have been integrated into the Delegated Commission of LaLiga, replacing CD Leganés. This movement would strengthen Tebas' position against FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, declared enemies of his management.
Uriarte, president of Athletic, appears as a new ally in a strategy of consolidation of power within LaLiga. Galán even insinuates that this type of agreement could have broader consequences, such as an eventual exclusion of Real Madrid from the decision-making bodies.
The "Game of Thrones" of LaLiga
The renewal of Nico Williams is not just a contractual milestone; it is the symptom of a paradigm shift in Athletic Club, and a warning of how economic and political power in LaLiga can alter the course of a career and the balance of an institution.
The case has revealed salary tensions, questionable strategies, and hidden alliances. While FC Barcelona looks for alternatives to reinforce its attack, the feeling remains that the operation was torpedoed from the outside, and that the battle for control of LaLiga is also fought far from the pitch.
To follow all the updates and analysis of FC Barcelona, be sure to visit FCBN.
