Athletic Bilbao is sticking to its demands and refusing to offer Barcelona any possible concessions in the Nico Williams deal, hindering its immediate conclusion despite an agreement between the Catalan club and the 22-year-old player.
Based on the recommendation of coach Hansi Flick, Barcelona’s management settled on signing Williams as a long-desired backup for the left winger position. This came after the player rejected a move to Barça in the summer of 2024, preferring to stay with his Basque club for another year.
Despite strong interest from Bayern Munich and Arsenal in signing the Spanish international, Williams only wants to join Barcelona. However, the situation appears extremely complicated at the moment.
Athletic Bilbao fans declare war on Nico Williams!
Athletic Bilbao insists on a one-time release clause for Williams
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Williams’ agent has already informed Athletic Bilbao officials of an agreement between his client and Barcelona for a transfer to Camp Nou during the current summer transfer window.
While Bilbao officials understand Williams’ desire, the club has no intention of negotiating with Barcelona over the payment of the release clause, which amounts to €62 million after inflation and taxes.
Barcelona has tried in recent days to discuss the possibility of paying the amount in installments, but the poor relationship between the Catalan club and its Basque counterpart, coupled with public pressure on Bilbao’s management to secure Williams’ departure, has led them to insist on receiving the full amount in just one installment.
This remains the only obstacle to completing the deal. It is currently reported that Barcelona does not have enough funds to finance the payment of this amount in one installment, and Joan Laporta’s administration may have to wait a little longer until one of its stars is sold or an additional source of income is found to resolve the Williams issue.
Nico Williams’ Salary with Barcelona
According to Romano, Williams will not receive a large salary at Barcelona, as his annual salary will be between €7 and €8 million.
The Ghanaian-born player agreed to lower his financial demands, which were reportedly as high as €20 million in his negotiations with Bayern Munich, solely to fulfill his dream of wearing the Blaugrana jersey.
🚨🔵🔴 Nico Williams and his agent informed Athletic about player’s desire to join Barça.
Athletic are still not open to installments; only full release clause.
The agreement Barça-Nico until June 2031 is done, as revealed…
…and Athletic are informed, as @evelascojr reports. pic.twitter.com/IhY6bB6lZ5
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 24, 2025
Bayern Munich Monitors the Situation and Holds Hope for Williams
With Bilbao insisting on not paying the release clause in installments, Bayern Munich appears to be closely monitoring the situation, hoping that Williams’ agreement with Barcelona will collapse and they will pounce on the deal immediately.
Sky Sports reported that Bavarian club officials have offered Williams an annual salary of €12 million, in addition to concluding the deal with Bilbao immediately, rather than waiting until the last minute for Barcelona to begin preparations.
So far, Williams has rejected Bayern’s offer and prefers to wait for Barcelona. Meanwhile, the Germans are betting on time, suggesting that the player will decide his future early, as he did last season.
