Nico Williams' agent reveals why winger snubbed Barcelona move

Nico Williams' agent, Felix Tainta, has shed light on the transfer saga surrounding the Spain international, explaining why the winger chose to extend his contract with Athletic Bilbao until 2035 instead of completing a move to Barcelona. Speaking on the 'Los Fulanos' podcast, Tainta revealed that the Catalan giants were unable to provide definitive guarantees regarding the player's registration for the summer of 2025.

"We held negotiations with Barcelona, and Athletic were kept fully informed throughout, even though Bilbao were unhappy with Barca's approach. As talks progressed, it became clear that Nico couldn't afford to risk being left on the sidelines. Nico is like a Formula 1 car, and when I come to you, your problems shouldn't become mine. I made that very clear to Barcelona," Tainta explained.

"We decided that without concrete guarantees, we couldn't take the risk of Nico joining and being unable to play. He is a professional and needs to do his job, regardless of whether a World Cup is around the corner. When you go somewhere to work, you need assurance that the club's issues won't affect you. Since there was no certainty, it was entirely natural for us to change our decision," the agent added regarding the new deal with the Basque club.

Barcelona initially attempted to sign the Euro 2024 winner during the summer transfer window, but they were far from the only suitors in the race for his signature.

"Everyone is aware of Barca's interest following Euro 2024. Alongside them, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and PSG were all keen... Practically every major club showed an interest, and it is never easy for a player to turn down sides of that calibre," Tainta revealed.

Tainta also highlighted the forward's loyalty to the Basque outfit towards the end of 2023: "In December 2023, we signed a three-year extension, even though he was close to becoming a free agent. Just imagine the offers and signing bonuses he would have received after Euro 2024 had he been available on a free. We could have walked away without a transfer fee and secured a massive signing-on bonus, but we didn't. The boy remained loyal to Athletic."

Despite his ambition to take on a fresh challenge, Williams ultimately opted to commit his future to San Mames.

"Nico intended to pursue a new challenge. At Athletic, you understand the limitations—you know it is difficult to win the Champions League or perhaps even La Liga. Yet despite the lucrative proposals on the table, he ultimately made the decision to stay in Bilbao," Tainta concluded.