Stunning Nico Williams twist as Barcelona chief Deco reveals why transfer collapsed

Barcelona sporting director Deco has sensationally revealed that it was Nico Williams and his agent who repeatedly made contact about a major transfer away from Athletic Club, not the other way round, while also aiming a dig at their LaLiga rivals.

Williams was a prime target for Barcelona in summer 2024 after he played a starring role in Spain’s European Championship triumph. Williams had formed a close friendship with Lamine Yamal and Barca were eager to unite the duo at club level.

Barca president Joan Laporta was confident about signing the winger by activating his release clause, which was then €58million (£51m).

However, Williams ultimately rejected Barca’s advances in order to continue his development with Athletic.

Barca returned for the 23-year-old during the most recent summer transfer window, triggering his exit clause and entering official talks with his agent.

But the Blaugrana were left disappointed once again. Williams was unsure if Barca would be able to register him with LaLiga amid their financial problems and instead went on to sign an incredible new 10-year contract with Athletic.

The deal, which includes a new €87m (£76m) exit clause, was met with fury by Barca chiefs who had been left in the dark.

It is rare for the defending LaLiga champions to be snubbed by one of their key targets, particularly a Spanish player.

In a new interview with Mundo Deportivo, Deco has provided Barca’s side of the story.

He claims it was actually Williams’ camp who initiated transfer talks, and that the move fell through due to the forward’s high demands.

“Nico wasn’t the exact profile we wanted, but he can play on the left and the right. And Ferran was becoming a ‘9’, and you take him out of the equation on the wings,” Deco said.

“If you bring in Nico, you have a right and a left wing, but not so much the ‘9’ profile. If a great player like Nico asks us to come, when the agent looks for us, we’ll talk, and that’s how it’s been.

“Football is like that; the player, for whatever reason, didn’t want the conditions that were proposed. The agent has his interests, and we don’t know how things are going, but there’s no controversy.

“It’s a very easy matter. He gives you a right and a left wing, he doesn’t give you the ‘9’ aspect, but if you don’t have the other solutions, it would suit us because he’s a great player and could give you two of the three positions.”

Deco continued: “There’s no mistake, we simply set the club’s conditions, then we have to put the negotiations on paper, into contracts, and we said we wouldn’t accept the conditions they set us because no player is going to impose any restrictions on us, and in the end, nothing happens. We gave them a deadline to respond, but they didn’t respond; they went their way, and we went ours.

“It’s not a matter of registration guarantees; it’s very simple. It’s just that if you’re going to negotiate, tell me everything you need and what you want, and don’t change it afterward. That’s it. And I won’t say any more about this topic; it’s been talked about too much, too much nonsense, even in Bilbao.”

There is tension between the two clubs as Athletic have complained to LaLiga about Barca still signing players amid their financial struggles, and Deco has added fuel to the fire.

“I don’t want to get into issues that aren’t my own. I’m dedicated to players, to the day-to-day management of the club, but I don’t think Bilbao is an example in this regard,” he added.

“We haven’t sought out their player, we haven’t gone after their player. They have to worry about the agent, who has come to Barca several times to offer the player. It’s not a club issue.

“If one of our players gives his agent permission to talk to other teams, we can’t get angry at the others about it. We’re moving on. He’s a Bilbao player. It’s a very simple situation.

“The agent sought us out, he tried to get us. It didn’t work out, and we must move on with other, more important issues.”

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Barcelona sign Marcus Rashford after Nico Williams miss

Williams enjoyed a great start to the season with Athletic, notching one goal and two assists in their 3-2 win over Sevilla on the opening day of LaLiga.

But he has only made two more appearances since due to a groin injury suffered while on international duty with Spain.

Williams is not the only left winger Barca failed to land in the summer, as they were also beaten to Luis Diaz by Bayern Munich.

Last season’s treble winners had to settle for Marcus Rashford, who joined on loan from Manchester United with a €30m (£26m) option to buy.

Rashford is proving to be a useful option for Barca boss Hansi Flick as he can play as either a left winger or centre-forward, unlike Williams.

Rashford has notched two goals and four assists in eight matches so far, which includes a brace against Newcastle United in the Champions League.

Barcelona news: Liverpool raid; midfielder price

Meanwhile, sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that a Barca star is on Liverpool’s four-man shortlist for a priority position.

Arsenal are reportedly admirers of Barca midfielder Marc Casado, but so too are Atletico Madrid, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Casado’s enticing price tag has been revealed here.

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