Nico Williams has signed a new contract with Athletic Club until 2035, snubbing Barcelona’s advances to sign him from the Basque side this summer.
Barça sporting director Deco said recently Williams had shown a strong “desire to join” the Spanish champions, with president Joan Laporta saying they were prepared to pay the winger’s €58 million ($68.3m) release clause.
However, in a surprise twist on Friday, Athletic announced an agreement for Williams to pen a new deal, with his clause now “more than 50% more than it was previously.”
Spain international Williams, 22, has long been the subject of interest from Barça, who first tried to sign him last summer.
It looked like they would finally land their target this year, with Athletic even complaining to LaLiga last week about Barça’s finances in a bid to scupper the deal.
The deal was presumed to be so far along that even Athletic fans had turned on Williams, twice defacing a mural in which he appears in recent weeks.
In the end, though, Williams decided to stay at the club he first joined as an 11-year-old and where he plays alongside his brother, Ghana international Iñaki Williams.
“When you have to make decisions, for me, what weights most is the heart,” Williams said in a video released on Athletic’s social media channels which shows him spray paint ‘2035’ on to the defaced mural.
“I am where I want to be, with my people, this is my home. Aupa Athletic!”
Since breaking into Athletic’s first team in 2021, he has made 167 appearances for the club, scoring 31 goals. He was also part of the team which won the Copa del Rey in 2024, ending a 40-year major trophy drought.
Williams has also become a key player for Spain under Luis de la Fuente, earning 28 caps and scoring six goals, one of which came in their Euro 2024 final win against England.
It is with the national team where he has struck up a close relationship with many Barça players, including Lamine Yamal, Alejandro Balde and Pedri.
He revealed last year Yamal and Balde had been pressuring him to join Barça last summer, with Yamal also posting several Instagram stories related to Williams recently as Barça tried to sign him.
Barça will now have to pursue other players after Deco told ESPN in May signing a winger to take the load of Yamal and Raphinha was the club’s priority this summer.
Liverpool’s Luis Díaz is also a target, but the Premier League champions have knocked back approaches from both Barça and Bayern Munich for the Colombian.
Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford is another option, with the English forward saying recently he “hopes” to be able to play alongside Yamal one day.
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