Athletic Club deny having made a pact to let Barcelona target leave | OneFootball

According to a fresh update from SPORT, relations between Athletic Club and FC Barcelona have hit a boiling point as the transfer saga involving Nico Williams takes a more hostile turn.

While the winger’s move to Barcelona is widely regarded as inevitable, Athletic Club are determined to make the deal as difficult as possible, particularly due to their strained relationship with the Catalan giants.

Athletic Club have made it abundantly clear that they will not ease negotiations or accept any alternative arrangements to the €62 million release clause (adjusted from €58 million plus CPI).

Nothing that has been said is true

They deny reports suggesting that they had verbally agreed to help Nico leave easily when he renewed his contract until 2027.

They are now clinging to the letter of the law, no payment plans, no instalments, and certainly no favours for Barça.

Any talk of flexibility in facilitating the transfer has been firmly shut down. In fact, Athletic are particularly opposed to helping Barcelona due to poor institutional relations, which have worsened in recent years.

Athletic Club will not make life easy for Barcelona. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

The club insists that the full amount must be paid upfront, and have no intention of negotiating terms similar to those offered by clubs in other leagues, such as the Premier League.

Hostility between clubs reaches new heights

Tensions go beyond the transfer table. Athletic Club president Jon Uriarte made his stance clear during Barcelona’s last visit to San Mames, choosing not to congratulate Joan Laporta on winning La Liga.

His actions reflected a deepening distrust, one that now influences their approach to the Nico deal.

To make matters more contentious, Athletic Club has vowed to monitor Barcelona’s registration activity with both La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation.

They will be watching closely for any possible breach of the league’s 1:1 financial fair play rule, and are expected to file complaints if they suspect Barça are violating salary cap regulations.