Another summer has come and gone, and Barcelona is left without Nico Williams. The Athletic striker will continue to defend the Basque club’s colors until 2035 after reaching an agreement to extend his contract. This marks a radical turn of events that will force the Azulgranas to look elsewhere for the striker they want to strengthen their attack.
The summer soap opera is over after only four days of the transfer window, as, just like last year, Nico Williams will continue playing at San Mamés. Despite rumors that the deal between the player and Barcelona was a done deal, the renewal of his contract with Athletic has taken everyone by surprise.
The fact is that Nico Williams had experienced a few turbulent days regarding his future. While everyone was talking about the deal being done, the big problem for Barcelona was the payment of the release clause of around €60 million. If they made that outlay, the next hurdle would be the registration of the Spanish international. The winger was wary and did not want a repeat of what happened to his teammate Dani Olmo.
A never-ending story
This is the second summer that Barcelona has been trying to sign Nico Williams. Last year, he was the favorite of the sporting director, but the financial situation at Can Barça remained very delicate, and they finally had to go for Dani Olmo. Everyone remembers the problems with registering the Egarense and Pau Víctor, both at the beginning of the season and in the second half of the season in January, when they were saved by a court decision.
This summer, there was no indication that Nico Williams was still on Barcelona’s agenda, especially with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal signing for the wings. But when it was leaked that Deco and the rest of the sports management were looking for a winger, the name of Luis Díaz, from Liverpool, came up. That led to the Basque player’s agent moving quickly and meeting with Barça to resume his signing. In addition, Lamine Yamal did nothing but fuel the rumors and put pressure on the club to sign one of his best friends.
The agreement between both parties was closed, but with the experience of the Dani Olmo case, Nico Williams was clear that he did not want to go through the same thing and pressed for guarantees that he would be registered before the start of LaLiga. Barcelona promised that there would be no problems, but it wasn’t enough, as it was impossible to certify this before the sales and levers that Joan Laporta had to activate to open up the necessary space for his registration.
The mural of discord
The unrest in Bilbao was palpable. Street polls were a clamor against Nico Williams, to such an extent that a mural of the Spanish international in Barakaldo alongside his brother Iñaki, Óscar de Marcos, and Iker Muniain was vandalized. Athletic didn’t think twice and paid for the restoration, but less than 24 hours later, “shitty rat” was painted over it in reference to the winger sought by Barcelona.
Lo que más pesa es el corazón ❤️#AthleticWIN #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/do1QvtqYbP
— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) July 4, 2025
Now, Athletic has shared a video announcing the renewal of Nico Williams’ contract, in which the player himself goes to that mural and paints 2035 with silver spray paint. “When decisions have to be made, for me, what matters most is the heart. I’m where I want to be, with my people. This is my home. Come on, Athletic!” said the Basque player to close the post shared by the Bilbao club.