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Athletic refuses to negotiate with Barcelona over Nico Williams and demands the full €58m buyout clause be paid in one lump sum.
Barcelona and Nico Williams both want the transfer to happen — but Athletic Club remains the biggest obstacle. The Basque side is sticking to its long-standing policy: no negotiations, only full payment of the release clause.
Even though Barcelona is reportedly willing to pay more than the €58 million clause, Athletic refuses to accept a staggered payment structure or any form of compromise. This rigid stance mirrors past high-profile exits, such as Aymeric Laporte to Manchester City and Javi Martinez to Bayern Munich, both of which required strict clause activation.
According to Marca, the Catalan giants are now pushing Williams himself to pressure his club into negotiating a softer exit. However, Athletic is countering by offering him a lucrative contract extension on par with Barcelona’s proposal — a net salary of €7–8 million per season.
For Barcelona, already dealing with tight financial controls, the demand for an immediate lump-sum payment makes the deal extremely difficult. Despite claims from Joan Laporta that the club has regained the financial freedom to operate under the "1:1" rule, such declarative optimism may again prove premature.
As it stands, if Barcelona cannot find a way to fund the full €58m up front, the dream of signing one of Spain’s most exciting young wingers could remain just that — a dream.