Earlier this summer, Barcelona came close to signing Nico Williams from Athletic Club, after signalling their intention to pay his buyout clause. They were ready to spend €58 million to get the deal done, but in the end, no final deal was reached, and the Spain international ended up committing to a new 10-year contract with the San Mames.
Barcelona had not planned to buy Williams this summer, having been rejected by him 12 months earlier. But after his agent opened the door to a deal, they made strong deals. In principle, a personal terms agreement was reached, but before the Catalans could pay his buyout clause, the 22-year-old changed his mind and signed a new deal with Athletic.
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As part of the new contract, Williams’ buyout clause was increased. Barcelona could sign him for €58 million, but going forward, he could only be pulled away from Athletic if a fee of around €90 million is paid, according to ED.
Barcelona make another attempt at Nico Williams
After being rejected by Williams in both the summer of 2024 and 2025, they have declared that they will never try to sign him again. His new buyout clause of 90 million euros means that it would be difficult anyway, especially while their well-documented financial problems are still there.
However, this buyout clause could still tempt clubs from the Premier League, who have also shown interest in Williams in the last couple of years. But for now, it is not expected that anyone will look to take him away from Athletic – and given the length of his contract at Bilbao, it is not expected that he will want to leave either.
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The Athletic will be pleased that they still have Williams on their roster, and they will hope that he is at his best during the upcoming 2025-26 season.
