Nico Williams Informs Athletic of Barcelona Move; €62 Million Clause Payment Pending Amid Tebas-Led Financial Fair Play Dispute

Nico Williams, the Athletic Club forward, has formally communicated his desire to join FC Barcelona, triggering a complex and tense transfer saga. Barcelona has reached a personal agreement with Williams until June 2031 and plans to pay his €62 million release clause, which Athletic demands in full without installments. Despite this, Athletic Club has expressed strong opposition, threatening to closely monitor Barcelona's financial operations and involving LaLiga over concerns about compliance with financial fair play rules, specifically the 1:1 rule. Barcelona president Joan Laporta affirmed the club's readiness to pay the clause and insisted they have nothing to hide regarding financial transparency.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas reiterated that Barcelona must strictly adhere to financial regulations and currently cannot register Williams. Negotiations have stalled due to the player's agent demanding guarantees of registration to avoid issues experienced by other recent signings, causing delays. Williams himself cut short his vacation to expedite the transfer process. Athletic fans have shown discontent by defacing murals of Williams, reflecting the local backlash. The transfer is expected to conclude soon, with Barcelona reportedly set to complete the payment imminently, although tensions between the clubs and regulatory scrutiny continue. Williams also reportedly indicated to teammates his willingness to consider a move to Real Madrid, adding to the complexity. Barcelona is accelerating efforts to finalize the signing and provide registration guarantees to the player, while Athletic maintains a firm stance on enforcing contractual and financial rules.