Spanish winger, Nico Williams, has extended his contract with Athletic Club earlier today, July 4, amid strong transfer interest from FC Barcelona.
Barcelona were just steps away from signing Nico Williams before Athletic Club announced that they had extended his contract until June 30, 2035.
To make things more complicated for Barcelona, the new deal comes with a 50 percent increase in his initial release clause worth around €60 million.
“When it comes to making decisions, for me, what weighs most is the heart. I’m where I want to be, with my people, this is my home. Aupa Athletic!” Nico Williams said in his contract renewal video the club shared on social media.
Note that Barcelona were set to trigger Nico’s release clause, but the potential of not being able to register the player due to the Spanish LaLiga spending and profit ratio rule delayed the deal.
Just on Thursday, July 3, Nico’s agent Tainta told reporters that the player’s representatives and Barcelona will resolve all issues delaying the transfer within a week. But that update has proven to be inaccurate.
Reports in Spain revealed that Barcelona got to know that Nico Williams has extended his contract with Athletic Club via a post on social media. This means no prior notice of the extension was sent to the Spanish giants who were fervently negotiating with Nico’s camp.
Note that Naija News has reported that Spanish LaLiga President, Javier Tebas, has made it clear that the Catalan giants are not in a position to register Nico Williams. Also, the Spanish player has requested a registration guarantee from Barca, which was not given before now.
A report from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed that following Nico’s new contract extension, FC Barcelona have officially bowed out of negotiations.
