Revealed: Why Nico Williams’ Transfer to Barcelona Collapsed at the Last Moment | OneFootball

A near-done deal falls apart due to agent tensions and bold moves from Barça officials

Revealed: Why Nico Williams’ Transfer to Barcelona Collapsed at the Last Moment

Barcelona’s ambitious move for Nico Williams's collapsed unexpectedly despite the deal being on the verge of completion, according to Spanish outlet Sport.

The sudden breakdown's reportedly tied to Felix Tainta, the player’s agent and powerful figure in the Basque football scene.

Early Talks: Smooth Negotiations & High Hopes

Tainta who manages several Athletic Club players including Yeray Alvarez, Inaki Williams and Robert Navarro , initially showed full cooperation in meetings with Barcelona sporting director Deco.

Encouraged by progress, President Joan Laporta gave the green light viewing the transfer as both sporting and commercial coup especially with the prospect of pairing Nico with Lamine Yamal.

With the deal projected to cost around the same as the Luis Diaz operation, Deco accelerated talks and arranged multiple meetings with Tainta. But without warning, negotiations stalled. Barca'd even scheduled the player's medical in the city, only to be met with delays that raised concerns about the agent’s intent.

In surprising move, one Barca official bypassed the agent and contacted Nico directly to salvage the transfer. This escalated further when WhatsApp message was sent to the player's family suggesting they replace Tainta with high profile agents like Jorge Mendes or Pini Zahavi both close to Laporta.

Family Fallout Ends the Deal

The Williams family saw the proposal as deeply disrespectful disrupting long standing and trusted relationship with Tainta. Their reaction was swift.

That same day, Nico signed contract extension with Athletic Club and video announcing the renewal was recorded overnight followed by official statement the next morning.