Barcelona Chief Reveals Alarming Concerns Over Nico Williams Deal as Transfer Talks Hit Major Roadblock
Barcelona's vice president Rafa Yuste has called upon Athletic Club to "reduce the friction" that currently exists between these two La Liga teams in order to facilitate a transfer deal for Nico Williams.
Following their public withdrawal from pursuing the Spanish winger earlier this summer, Barcelona quickly reversed their position. The Catalan club seems to have reached an agreement on personal terms with Williams—allegedly convincing him to accept a wage package that other teams had significantly surpassed—however, discussions with Athletic have reached an impasse.
The Basque club arranged a meeting with La Liga to verify that Barcelona possessed the necessary financial resources to execute Williams's transfer and are insisting that his €62 million ($72.6 million) buyout clause be settled in one complete payment.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta adopted an aggressive stance regarding Athletic's demands at the end of June. VP Yuste attempted to serve as a mediator in the situation.
"The necessary action is to reduce the friction, particularly from Bilbao's side, because the emotional pressure they're applying cannot result in any satisfaction for Bilbao supporters," Yuste expressed, according to MARCA.
"Bilbao supporters are knowledgeable fans and they understand that any player in Spain or globally, if they wish to depart from a club, they will leave, and if not, they remain."
Similar to Laporta, Yuste was surprised by the resistance. "Occasionally, Athletic's leadership seems unconvinced or dissatisfied with Barcelona, which puzzles me since relationships with Bilbao have consistently been outstanding," he observed.
Yuste also expressed displeasure with Athletic's decision to make public every development of a transfer saga that's increasingly being conducted in the spotlight. "Honestly, I haven't appreciated it because there are matters that are private to the clubs and should always stay within the clubs," he complained.
"Therefore, there are aspects I don't completely comprehend, but regardless, I hope and trust that a moment of consideration from the Athletic Club president will restore normalcy to the situation for the benefit of the supporters who enjoy watching football, and Barcelona and Bilbao have been two exemplary supporter bases."
Reports have also emerged suggesting that Williams is becoming anxious about the potential inability to feature for Barcelona even if a transfer materializes due to the league's stringent financial rules. Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor were notably excluded from the roster during the season as their salaries exceeded Barcelona's wage constraints, necessitating Spanish government involvement to secure new registrations.
To address Williams's concerns, Barcelona are prepared to include a provision in his contract that would permit him to enter negotiations with other clubs should he be unable to be registered for the upcoming season, according to SPORT.