Barça accepts Nico Williams' candidacy

Almost a year after Nico Williams, a 22-year-old Athletic Club winger and international with the Spanish national team, decided to stay at San Mamés despite Barça 's firm commitment to his services, his name is back on the Barcelona club's agenda. Especially since it was Nico himself who asked his agent to explore the possibility of wearing the Blaugrana.

This gesture has pleased president Joan Laporta, who was left disenchanted last summer after the younger Williams brother's rejection, even though the club had already begun the process of paying his €58 million release clause. "The Barça train only passes once," Laporta asserted in recent months when asked about the possibility of bringing him back.

The 22-year-old winger prioritizes wearing the Blaugrana and asked his agent to meet with Deco.

Barça would never have reopened this file on its own initiative. Therefore, at the player's request, it was his agent, Félix Tainta, who requested a meeting with Deco, the club's sporting director. The two met again last Friday in Barcelona. "In the end, everyone wants to come to Barça," club sources summarized after the meeting, satisfied that the winger has taken the first step toward getting closer and is prioritizing joining Barça over other teams that have made strong bids for him, such as Bayern Munich. The club is also pleased with the interest from players such as the versatile Liverpool striker Luis Díaz—Deco's favorite—and Marcus Rashford, the 27-year-old Manchester United forward on loan this past season at Aston Villa, who is also reportedly interested in joining the Camp Nou.

Read also

Colombian Luis Díaz, 28, has always been a favorite with Deco, both for his versatility—he can play in any of the three attacking positions—and for his experience at Liverpool, where he has scored 17 goals in all competitions this season. However, his signing is complicated, above all, by financial reasons: Díaz reached an agreement with Liverpool, with whom he still has a two-year contract, that would only allow him to leave if the acquiring club pays €82 million, a figure currently unaffordable for Barça.

Laporta appreciates the player's gesture, whose 60 million release clause is more affordable than the 80 million that Luis Díaz costs.

Nico Williams now costs 62 million, a fixed price. He's more affordable, but there's another factor creating division within the sporting community: his close relationship with Lamine Yamal. That same Friday, after news of the meeting between Tainta and Deco broke, the young winger posted an image on Instagram celebrating a goal with Nico for the national team. Some fear that this chemistry between the two could translate into excessive power for Lamine, just 17 years old, who recently signed a contract until 2031 and has the highest salary in the squad. But there are also those who argue that the connection between the two inspires enthusiasm among fans, boosts stadium attendance, and generates commercial interest among sponsors.

Another issue the club will have to address is financial. Last year, Barça already explored ways to secure Nico's €58 million release clause through a bank loan. In this regard, this week the club obtained an upgrade to its credit rating from the expert agency Morningstar DBRS, which, in practice, allows it to access loans on better terms.

Barça's difficulties in registering

Then comes the challenge of registration. Last summer, it was a real headache, as demonstrated by the costly signing of Dani Olmo. The club had contracts pending registration—such as those of Balde and Araújo—and Iñigo Martínez wasn't even listed in LaLiga 's database. Faced with this situation, Nico opted to stay at Athletic and compete in the Europa League , the final of which was played at San Mamés, although his team lost in the semifinals to Manchester United.

This year, Barça continues to have an excess salary bill. It knows that, in order to invest in the transfer market that opens on July 1st under the 1-1 rule and register both Nico Williams and goalkeeper Joan Garcia , it will have to offload high-wage players like Ansu Fati and Ter Stegen. But above all, it must hand over the 475 VIP seats at the new Camp Nou, which it has leased for the next 30 years to the companies New Era Visionary Group and Fort Advisors Limited, so that LaLiga can account for the €100 million the club is earning from this transaction.