Nico Williams prioritizes staying in Spain: Barça or renewal with Athletic

Published:7/06/2025 - 16:33h

Updated:7/06/2025 - 16:33h

The Athletic Club winger rejects offers from the Premier League. FC Barcelona, without making any moves for him, prioritizes other options for the attack.

Nico Williams, one of the great gems of Spanish football, has not rejected proposals from Arsenal and Chelsea for the moment, clubs willing to pay his release clause to take him to the Premier League this summer.

However, the Athletic Club winger is not considering a move abroad at the moment and his final decision seems to be between continuing in Bilbao or waiting for a move from FC Barcelona.

The Blaugrana club, for its part, maintains a position of distancing itself from the player despite past interest and the personal ties that Williams maintains with members of the Culé dressing room.

Barça's contractual situation, together with the tense relationship with Athletic after previous episodes, makes his signing unlikely. The future of the Spanish international remains open, but everything points to the Premier League not being his destination.

Nico Williams rejects the Premier League and awaits a decision from Barça

Nico Williams' environment has been in contact with several Premier League clubs in recent weeks, especially with Arsenal and Chelsea. Both teams would be willing to pay the player's release clause, estimated at 60 million euros, according to sources close to the player.

However, the player, with a contract with Athletic Club until June 2027, has not given the green light to any of these operations, making it clear that his priority is to continue in Spain.

Williams' decision is not new. The Navarre winger has expressed on several occasions his desire not to rush his departure abroad. He feels comfortable in Bilbao, where he is an undisputed starter, an idol of the fans and a key player in the sports project. If FC Barcelona does not act, the most likely option is to renew with the Bilbao team.

Barça moves away from Nico and prioritizes other offensive alternatives

Despite the fact that the name of Nico Williams has been mentioned repeatedly in the offices of FC Barcelona, the truth is that the club has not made formal moves for him in this market.

The relationship with Athletic Club was damaged in the past after meetings between the player's agent and the Blaugrana club became known, which did not sit well in Bilbao. In addition, Barça's complicated economic situation, especially in relation to the salary limit, reduces the possibilities of signing high-cost players.

At a sporting level, Nico's profile is liked by the sports management, but his irregular performance during the last season has lowered his priority on the list of signings. Instead, the Catalan club has focused on players such as Luis Díaz (Liverpool), who currently tops the list of candidates to reinforce the wings, or Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), with whom there have already been preliminary contacts.

In this context, Nico Williams' arrival at Barça is increasingly distant. Although the player maintains an excellent relationship with footballers in the Culé dressing room, such as Lamine Yamal —who would be delighted to share a team with him—, the board prefers to avoid tensions with Athletic and not repeat the media noise of last summer.