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Nico Williams's representative has disclosed that his client's potential transfer to Barcelona collapsed due to worries about guaranteed playing time.
Williams was expected to depart Athletic Club in back-to-back summers in 2024 and 2025, with several of Europe's top clubs pursuing the winger who played a pivotal role in Spain's Euro 2024 victory.
Barcelona's pursuit advanced the furthest in 2025, with the La Liga title holders willing to trigger Williams's €58 million ($65 million) release clause to pair him with Spain teammate Lamine Yamal in their attack. The proposed transfer sparked outrage among Athletic supporters, who infamously vandalized a mural of their star player.
In the end, the deal broke down and Williams went on to sign a surprising 10-year contract extension, tying him to San Mamés until 2035.
The real reasons behind Williams's transfer reversal remained unclear at the time, though Athletic shared a video on their social media channels of the player announcing: "When you have to make decisions, for me, what weighs most is the heart.
"I am where I want to be, with my people, this is my home. Aupa Athletic!"
'Nico Is a Formula 1 Car'—Agent Breaks Down Failed Move
Williams's agent Félix Tainta has stated that concerns over playing time were the primary reason Williams chose not to make the move to Camp Nou, rather than any emotional attachment to Athletic.
Speaking at length about the transfer saga on the podcast Los Fulanos, he said: "We all know about Barça's interest in the summer of '24, after the European Championship. Barça, Arsenal, Bayern, Liverpool, PSG … I could list them all. Everyone wanted Nico, and it's not easy for a player to turn down all these clubs.
"From there, we held talks with Barça. Athletic were aware because I kept them updated on the situation throughout, even though Athletic and Barça... Athletic was frustrated with Barça over their approach.
"From that point, I opened conversations, and there came a moment in the negotiations, in the situation, where Nico couldn't afford to be without playing time. Nico is a Formula 1 car, and if I bring him to your house, I can't take on your problems, and I made that very clear to Barça.
"We decided that without certain guarantees, we couldn't risk Nico going there and not playing, with a World Cup on the horizon, and not just because of the World Cup, but because he's a professional who needs to fulfill his responsibilities."
After the deal fell through, Barcelona ultimately signed left-sided forward Marcus Rashford on loan in 2025, while they also spent €80 million ($90 million) on Anthony Gordon the previous summer.
Could Williams Still Leave Athletic?
Williams, 24, is contracted to Athletic Club until 2035—one of the lengthiest professional deals of any player across Europe's top leagues. However, his new contract still contains a release clause.
At the time, reports indicated that the new buyout figure had been set at over 50% higher than the previous one, suggesting it would require at least €87 million ($98 million) to even begin negotiations.
In the same interview, Tainta defended Williams's commitment to Bilbao but acknowledged that his client had genuinely contemplated leaving Athletic Club before agreeing to renew, describing the winger as "ambitious."
"Nico had the idea of leaving," Tainta added. "He's ambitious, and at Athletic you understand the limitations—you know you're not going to win a Champions League, maybe a league title.
"In the end, when he kept saying 'not here, not here, not here, maybe here, but the situation and what it involves doesn't add up,' there's another turn where you think, 'what if I renew?' I raised it with him, I said, 'This is what it is, do you want me to push for it?' And he agreed. And that's how we got the renewal."
Having grown up in the Basque Country and joined Athletic's youth academy at age 11, Williams has become a symbol of a club with one of the strongest community identities in European football. His elder brother Iñaki, 32, has also spent his entire senior career at the club despite persistent transfer speculation.