Are Athletic Club and Barca at Odds Over Nico Williams' Transfer?

Madrid, June 27 (NationPress) Athletic Club and FC Barcelona have entered into a significant dispute regarding Barca's pursuit of Spain international winger Nico Williams.

For the second consecutive summer, Barcelona is eager to secure Williams, but Athletic is firmly opposed to selling their star player. Consequently, Barcelona's only recourse is to activate his release clause, which is reportedly set at 58 million euros (approximately 68 million U.S. dollars).

Barcelona is facing challenges in adhering to La Liga's stringent financial fair-play regulations. Recently, Dani Olmo was only allowed to participate after the club appealed to Spain's Superior Sports Committee, and it remains uncertain whether they can register new signings without first offloading existing players.

Athletic expressed their dissatisfaction with an interview given by Barcelona's sporting director Deco to La Vanguardia, where he openly discussed Williams and claimed that the player had expressed his desire to join Barcelona.

In retaliation, Athletic requested that both La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) investigate Barcelona's financial status—a move that provoked anger from Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who remarked to local media that Athletic should "mind its business," as reported by Xinhua.

Athletic president Jon Uriarte held a meeting with La Liga president Javier Tebas on Wednesday, and the club confirmed on Thursday that discussions included Barcelona's "ability to sign players."

"This meeting took place in Madrid following a request from Athletic Club concerning compliance with financial fair play regulations. The ability of FC Barcelona to sign players was among the topics discussed," stated the Athletic website.

Athletic also addressed Laporta's comments, asserting that they are defending their "legitimate interest... after FC Barcelona sporting director Anderson Luis de Souza 'Deco' publicly acknowledged that they are attempting to sign a player from our first team, who has a contract with Athletic Club until June 30, 2027. Our responsibility is to ensure that the competition rules are upheld."

Additionally, Athletic pointed out that Deco's remarks followed Laporta's own admission that Barcelona "is working to comply with the 1:1 rule"—the regulation that permits clubs to spend income generated from player sales—and thus the club is not currently in a position to register new players.

Despite the pro-Barca media's assertions that the club will secure Williams next week, this intriguing saga appears destined to extend throughout the summer.