Athletic Club left stunned by talks between Barcelona and Nico Williams’ agent | OneFootball

On Friday evening, reports emerged claiming that FC Barcelona sporting director Deco had met with Felix Tainta – the agent of Athletic Club winger Nico Williams.

Adding fuel to the fire, Lamine Yamal posted a photo of himself and Nico Williams celebrating together with the Spanish national team on social media.

Soon after, more updates surfaced stating that it was Nico who had requested the meeting as he was ‘crazy’ about playing for Barcelona.

Athletic Club left surprised by developments

Now, according to SPORT, there was shock on Friday at Athletic Club’s offices after the news of the meeting between Deco and Nico Williams’ agent broke.

The development took the Basque outfit by surprise, as many within the club could not believe the summit had actually taken place.

Tainta had intended for the meeting to remain entirely discreet, claiming internally that he had travelled to Barcelona merely to visit some friends. However, the news leaked, confirming that the La Liga champions had reactivated their interest in the 22-year-old winger.

Athletic Club do not want to lose Nico. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Nico is under contract with Athletic Club until 2027 and has a release clause set at €62 million. In recent days, there had been internal discussions about improving and extending the Spanish international’s contract.

However, the Basque club’s intention to tie him down clashes with the player’s desire to, at the very least, explore the market.

No shortage of interest

Apart from Barcelona, clubs such as Bayern Munich and Arsenal have also shown interest in Nico Williams.

Athletic Club, for their part, had remained calm so far until the sudden move from Barcelona disrupted that sense of security.

Although the player is protected by his €62 million release clause, there is little Athletic Club can do if Williams decides he wants to move to one of Europe’s elite clubs, in which case his first choice would be Barcelona.

The meeting between Nico’s agent and Deco is seen as just the first step and it will be interesting to see how things develop from here.