Barcelona is the big loser in the transfer saga surrounding Nico Williams. That’s the conclusion drawn by Spanish media after it was revealed on Friday that the Spanish winger will in fact stay at Athletic Bilbao and has even extended his contract by eight years, keeping him at the club until mid-2035.
Barcelona’s failed pursuit of Nico Williams has quickly become one of the most explosive and humiliating transfer sagas of the summer.
What appeared to be a matter of time the finalization of a deal between one of Spain’s brightest young talents and its most storied club has instead turned into a public relations disaster for the Catalans, one that raises renewed questions about the club’s financial management, credibility in the transfer market, and overall sporting direction.
According to multiple sources in Spain, including Sport and AS, Nico Williams had already reached a personal agreement with Barcelona. After rejecting interest from the club in 2023, this summer seemed different. The 22-year-old winger, fresh off a strong season with Athletic Bilbao and impressive performances for Spain, appeared ready to take the next step in his career. Barça, under pressure to deliver fresh attacking options and revitalize its squad after a disappointing title defense, identified Williams as a priority target.
Yet from the start, there was a looming shadow: Barcelona’s ongoing financial problems. Although the club remains one of the biggest brands in world football, its balance sheet tells a different story. Burdened by years of mismanagement, inflated wage bills, and structural debt, Barça is still unable to register players freely without either freeing up salary space or securing external financial guarantees. The club’s inability to generate liquidity in time to activate Williams’ release clause was a red flag one that Athletic Bilbao took seriously.
Bilbao, well aware of the situation, reportedly contacted La Liga directly to flag Barcelona’s financial limitations. The Basque club insisted that any move for Williams would only happen if the full release clause thought to be around €58 million was paid in one lump sum. Installments or delays were not an option. This bold stance put Barça in a tight corner. Despite all the optimism generated internally and through the media, the financial reality was simple: the operation was not viable under current constraints.
Still, confidence within Barcelona remained high. Club insiders continued to suggest to journalists that the deal was progressing, that all parties were aligned, and that a final announcement was imminent. Then, out of nowhere, came the bombshell: on Friday morning, Athletic Bilbao published a slick video on its official channels in which Nico Williams personally announced his contract renewal not for one or two years, but until 2035. The eight-year extension not only shocked the public but seemed to catch Barcelona completely off guard.
According to Sport, the reaction inside the club was one of disbelief and fury. “They’ve fallen for it again. It’s as simple as that,” the newspaper wrote, referring to a similar situation last summer when Williams was linked to Barça only to stay at San Mamés. “On Thursday night, club sources told us it was done that this time Nico Williams would sign for Barça. Now they’re humiliated.” The paper did not hold back, calling the situation a blow to the club’s credibility and expressing open frustration with the leadership’s apparent naivety in trusting the player’s entourage.
Behind the scenes, tensions flared. Senior figures at Barcelona reportedly feel used and manipulated by Williams’ agent, who they believe courted the Catalans primarily to strengthen his client’s negotiating position with Bilbao. The fact that the club received no warning about the player’s decision has only deepened the anger. “Internally there has been great anger and disbelief; the directors are stunned,” Sport added. “But none of that matters now. This is a blow to Barça’s credibility. Once again, they’ve stumbled over the same stone. And they believed it again.”
The situation is being described in AS as a “massive defeat” for club president Joan Laporta. “This is a heavy blow for the president and for Barcelona in general. They are left in shock, convinced that Nico would complete their dream attack for the summer,” the paper wrote. “They had already informed the media that everything was ready to activate the clause. But the longer the delay lasted, the more doubts grew in the player’s mind. Athletic kept its promises. And as Johan Cruyff once said: if a player hesitates, he’s not worthy of Barça.”
For many within the Spanish football community, the entire episode reflects poorly not only on Barcelona’s financial health, but also on its decision-making processes. The club had publicly positioned Williams as a cornerstone of its summer strategy, only to be blindsided by a renewal video. The optics are damaging: a club that once lured global superstars is now struggling to close deals even when players have reportedly agreed personal terms.
Former Spain manager Javier Clemente, a veteran of both La Liga and the Athletic Bilbao bench, believes the Catalans mismanaged the situation from the start. Speaking to El Larguero radio, he said, “They should have been honest with Nico Williams from the beginning about the registration issues. That’s where the problem lies. Nico Williams was misled.” According to Clemente, the confusion likely created doubts in the player’s camp and made Bilbao’s more stable offer even more appealing. When asked about the criticism Williams is receiving from fans in Bilbao for entertaining talks with Barça, Clemente was pragmatic: “The crowd in Bilbao is sensitive, yes. But they’ll cheer for him again when he scores goals.”
Indeed, while fans may have felt disappointed by Williams’ public flirtation with Barcelona, his decision to commit long-term to his boyhood club has also been welcomed as a powerful statement of loyalty in a footballing era dominated by transfers. Bilbao now retains a key figure of its project and avoids the loss of a generational talent to a domestic rival.
As for Barcelona, the saga leaves bruises that go beyond the failed transfer. It raises questions about their operational credibility, the transparency of their negotiations, and the viability of their summer strategy under continued financial strain. With the transfer window still open, there may yet be marquee signings to come but the club now finds itself needing to rebuild not just the squad, but also trust from fans, media, and perhaps even players.
