Spanish Youngster Nico Williams Says No to Barcelona: Bold Decision, Chooses Loyalty Over Millions

Nico Williams just totally turned down FC Barcelona! Williams will remain at Athletic Bilbao under the new long-term contract. This news is big since he is becoming a central figure in La Liga and in the transfer market of transfers; this is changing the game.

Loyalty over lucrative offers:

Nico signed a new deal with Athletic Bilbao on July 4, and the deal keeps Williams at Athletic Bilbao until 2035. His buyout clause received a significant increase, rising from approximately €58 million to over €90 million. Athletic Bilbao posted a video, where Nico made his motive crystal clear.

Lo que más pesa es el corazón ❤️#AthleticWIN #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/do1QvtqYbP

— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) July 4, 2025

This heartfelt message showed how much love he holds for his home club, where he’s been for over ten years.

Let’s look at Nico Williams’ season at Athletic in 2024-25:

In the 2024-2025 seasons, this Spanish Superstar had an outstanding season at Athletic

• During the 2024-25 La Liga season, Nico Williams appeared in 29 matches and scored 5 goals, and had 5 assists on the field playing with Athletic Bilbao.
• In the 2024-25 Europa League, Nico was able to score 5 goals in 13 matches, scoring the winnings in knockout matches.
• Nico played two games and scored one goal. Athletic won the 2024 Copa Del Ray.

Teams like Barcelona and Bayern didn’t get this youngster: what went wrong??

Renowned franchises like Barcelona and Bayern were behind this Spanish youngster. But what went wrong that they couldn’t make the final call??

Barcelona thought they were about to close the deal with Nico Williams. By late June, they had agreed with the salary and was set to pay the €58 million release clause. But then the whole thing got changed, the requests for delays and extra requirements derailed the whole thing.

• A report from Diario SPORT says Barça is “shocked and angry“. Apparently, after two weeks of heavy talks, they never thought Nico wanted to stay in the Basque Country. They feel like he just used their interest to get a better deal from his current team.
• Barcelona said Nico’s agent, Félix Tainta, added some last-minute demands like a new exit clause and a registration deadline. Because of financial rules, Barcelona couldn’t agree to these terms.

After this big drama, Barcelona is quickly looking at other options like Luis Díaz and Marcus Rashford. Fabrizio Romano tweeted:

🚨 Barcelona are planning new approach for Luis Diaz in the next days/weeks after Nico deal off.

Liverpool already closed doors to both Barça and FC Bayern in the recent weeks; not an easy one.

Marcus Rashford also remains still keen on Barça move.

🎥 https://t.co/VIlzdLPEn8 pic.twitter.com/hxJsJiQTYl

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 4, 2025

Athletic’s Strategy:

Near June, Athletic Bilbao took action; they contacted La Liga officials to make sure Barcelona was following the financial rules. The club’s president and La Liga made it clear that Athletic would strongly protect its contract rights.

Extending Williams’ contract and increasing his buyout clause before the July 9 deadline? The Athletic is clearly saying they don’t need to sell him, especially since he wants to stay in his place.

The Financial Effect

Williams is sticking around, and that huge release clause? It could shake things up for Athletic Bilbao’s money plans. They’re already looking at Champions League cash, and this just makes their potential transfer earnings even better. If they sell him down the line, like, for close to €100 million, they could use that money to beef up the team, especially in the midfield or defense. It’s a smart, long-term move, like what other clubs in Europe are doing to build themselves up.

Nico Williams turned down Barcelona to stay at Athletic Bilbao by signing a ten-year deal. This says a lot about where his heart is—he’s loyal and wants to achieve things there. Athletic is getting ready for the Champions League with one of their own leading the way, and Barcelona now has to rethink what they’re doing in terms of transfers.

This whole story shows that one player choosing love for his team over big names can really shake things up for everyone involved. Sometimes, staying close to home means more than global fame.