Barcelona’s financial struggles and registration uncertainties ultimately convinced Nico Williams to reject a move to Camp Nou and remain at Athletic Club.
The Athletic Club Bilbao forward’s agent revealed the reasons why he refused to move to Camp Nou. Barcelona’s financial crisis and Nico Williams’ concerns about missing the start of LaLiga were crucial factors in understanding why he did not become a new player for the Blaugrana.
Nico Williams’ potential move to Barcelona was one of the main talking points of the 2025 transfer window. At the time, the Athletic Club Bilbao winger was highly regarded in Barcelona. He was seen as the perfect piece to complement a project that was gradually taking off and developing into the team we see today. His representative has now revealed the real reasons behind his decision to stay in the Basque Country.
Félix Tainta, Nico Williams’ agent, spoke in recent hours about a decision that was difficult for his client in every respect. The winger wanted to join Barcelona, provided that he was guaranteed to be registered before the start of the season. At the time, Barcelona was still dealing with a series of financial difficulties that prevented the club from guaranteeing that any new signings would be registered in time for the start of competitions such as La Liga.
“Talks were held with Barça, and Athletic obviously knew about it because I kept them informed about the situation at all times, even though Athletic were angry with Barça because of the way they handled things. From there, I began negotiations, and a point came when Nico simply couldn’t afford to be left without playing. Nico is a Formula 1 car, and if I come to your house, I shouldn’t have to deal with your problems. That’s what I made clear to Barça,” Nico Williams’ representative said in recent hours.
The Athletic Club Bilbao winger is not the only one to have faced such concerns. Players such as Jules Koundé and Dani Olmo have had to rely on luck and wait for Barcelona to resolve their financial registration issues before making their debuts. The lack of financial fair play compliance amid the entire Nico Williams saga ultimately led to the player staying at Athletic Club Bilbao and signing a new contract.
Throughout the transfer saga, Barcelona had reached an agreement with Nico Williams’ representative to pay the player’s release clause. The fee stood at €62 million, a figure that was by no means prohibitive for the Catalan club. However, the financial fair play issues surrounding player registrations ultimately derailed the deal.
“From that point on, we decided that without certain guarantees, we couldn’t risk Nico going there and not playing. There was a World Cup coming up, and even without a World Cup, he is a professional who needs to do his job. I go to your house to do my job, so I need to be able to continue doing it. If you have a problem, it shouldn’t affect me. And if you can’t guarantee that it won’t affect me, then perhaps I have to change my mind, which is exactly what happened,” Nico Williams’ agent explained in recent hours.
The player would eventually sign a contract extension through 2035. He has remained with a project where, it must be remembered, he will not have the same opportunities to win trophies as he would at Barcelona. Athletic Club Bilbao is a unique case in world football because its squad consists exclusively of players born in the Basque Country. Barcelona’s inability to comply with financial fair play requirements amid the potential transfer was the main reason Nico Williams did not move to Camp Nou.
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