Barcelona given deadline to complete Nico Williams deal

While Barcelona President Joan Laporta declared on Monday that they could afford to sign Athletic Club winger Nico Williams immeidately, it would be fair for Blaugrana fans to err on the side of caution given their transfer windows in recent years. While Barcelona may have an advantage in the race for Williams, he will not wait for them.

Nico Williams prefers Barcelona to any other move, but he wants his future settled soon. If not, he may stay at Athletic Bilbao. He respects his current side and wants them to have enough time to find a replacement. @tjuanmarti

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) July 9, 2024

Williams, 21, is not discussing his future currently as he focuses on Euro 2024, telling his agent to keep him in the dark. However there will only be a small window for Barcelona, or Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Bayern Munich, to complete the deal. As per Sport, while Williams has not set a specific deadline, he does not want to hold out for a last-minute transfer. Any move will have to be sealed likely in July, as he does not want to leave Athletic Club in the lurch.

The Catalan daily goes on to say that if Williams returns from his holidays and begins training with Athletic, the chances of him staying in Bilbao increase significantly. The ball is now in Barcelona’s court to be able to activate the release clause and offer Williams a contract within the required timescale. It is likely that he will return from holidays towards the end of July.

Barcelona’s competitors are likely to be able to offer Williams a deal immediately after the Euros end, and while Laporta seems confident about their capacity to do the same, it differs significantly from much of the reporting surrounding the club. Athletic on the other hand are confident they can persuade Williams to remain at the club this summer, in part due to doubts over Barcelona’s ability to do a deal.

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