Williams close to staying at Athletic as Barca can't afford to register him

Negotiations for Nico Williams to join Barcelona have taken a turn, with the 'COPE' channel and media outlets 'AS' and 'Mundo Deportivo' reporting that the 22-year-old is further away from leaving Athletic than ever. In fact, Dani Olmo's arrival at the Catalan side is much more likely than that of Nico Williams.

The obstacles to Hansi Flick's taking charge of the Spain international are several. Joan Laporta's board have enough money to pay his buyout clause, which is 58 million euros, but not to register him. This procedure is also pending with Vitor Roque, Inigo Martinez and Ronald Araujo.

Barcelona blame the pressure the winger has been under from Athletic and his family. Interestingly, just a few days ago, it was this insistence that Los Leones were complaining about from the Catalans due to the constant questions from the press about his potential departure.

'Mundo Deportivo' reports that Athletic are planning to extend his contract to modify his buyout clause to 100 million euros, which would be unaffordable for Barcelona. Nico Williams, who seems to be opting to work one more season in Bilbao and consider his future in the summer of 2025, has not yet made his decision public.