Lamine Yamal tugs at Nico Williams' shirt during Barca's visit to Bilbao at San Mames in last season's La Liga. Photo: EFE

Lamine Yamal tugs at Nico Williams' shirt during Barca's visit to Bilbao at San Mames in last season's La Liga. Photo: EFE

Williams has been a target for Barca and several major clubs, including Arsenal, Liverpool, and Bayern, since last summer. But the La Liga champions appear to be winning the race for the Athletic Bilbao left-winger. Since the middle of last week, Spanish media has reported that Barca and Williams have reached a personal agreement, the most crucial step in any transfer deal.

The news spread through the WhatsApp group chats of Barca players, who are currently on summer vacation around the world. The common message was, "It's done." Some members even added fire emojis, expressing their excitement about potentially becoming Williams' teammates.

However, when asked, Barca's management remained cautious. "It is true that we are close to an agreement, but there are still some details to be worked out; some easy, some more complex," President Laporta said.

Laporta pursued Williams last summer and faced a negative reaction from Bilbao's counterpart, Jon Uriarte. "Respect is fundamental, at least from Bilbao's point of view. We don't publicly pressure players under contract with other clubs," Uriarte said at the time.

The backlash seemingly made Laporta and Sporting Director Deco more cautious in their summer reinforcement plans. "Some trains only pass once," Laporta said in a board meeting, hinting that Barca should give up hope of signing Williams.

Instead, Barca turned to Luis Diaz, the Colombian forward from Liverpool, valued at around 70 million USD. But when they approached Anfield, Deco and his associates encountered a new obstacle: Liverpool insisted they wouldn't negotiate if the offer was less than 90 million USD.

With their finances still recovering, Barca considered 90 million USD for a player nearing 29, who also wanted a 4-year contract, too risky an investment. Laporta and Deco calculated that 70 million USD would secure Williams, who is only 22 and could sign a six-year contract, with an amortization cost of just over 11 million USD per year.

According to *The Athletic*, Laporta understood the situation but required a move from Williams. During the Spanish national team's Nations League semi-final, Williams spent time with Barca players. There, thanks to the influence of Dani Olmo, Pedri, and his strike partner Lamine Yamal, Williams seemed to lean towards joining Barca.

Williams' friendship with Barca players like Olmo on the Spanish national team is an advantage for the Catalan club in the race for the Bilbao forward. Photo: Diario Sport

Williams' friendship with Barca players like Olmo on the Spanish national team is an advantage for the Catalan club in the race for the Bilbao forward. Photo: Diario Sport

When the players returned from the Nations League, the move Laporta awaited arrived: Williams' agent contacted Deco. They quickly agreed on key terms regarding the contract and salary. "He will be in the third tier of the new salary scale," a source from Barca's management revealed, meaning below Lamine Yamal and Pedri. On 24/6, according to *La Vanguardia*, Williams, through his agent, asked Bilbao to facilitate his departure to Barca.

However, a major hurdle remains: extracting Williams from Bilbao. According to *El Pais*, some Barca officials hope to reach an amicable agreement with the Basque club, while others believe the only option is to pay the release clause.

Regardless of the method, Barca still faces an old problem: La Liga's financial fair play rules. Laporta acknowledged this while announcing the imminent signing of goalkeeper Joan Garcia from Espanyol and hinting at a possible Williams acquisition. "We have a good relationship with La Liga, so I believe the club will soon announce the signings," Laporta said on 18/6.

Shortly after, La Liga President Javier Tebas also reiterated Barca's situation: "They need to do a few things to be able to register players, not much, but they know what they have to do."

According to *El Pais*, among the "few things" Tebas mentioned, Barca first needs to submit a certificate from construction company Limak, the main contractor for the new Camp Nou stadium project, to La Liga's auditors. This certificate must confirm that the VIP seats at the new stadium have been installed. This would provide Barca with financial guarantees through the completion of VIP seat sales, which they failed to achieve in 12/2024, nearly preventing the registration of Dani Olmo and Pau Victor.

Next, they need to create more space within their salary cap, as Barca is currently exceeding La Liga's limit, calculated based on each club's income. Barca has two options: sell players to increase revenue or let high-earning players leave. Joan Garcia's case has been resolved, and Barca now needs approximately 29 million USD, including amortization costs and salary, to register Nico Williams.

This shortfall can be covered, at least according to Barca's management, by selling Ansu Fati and some lower-paid players. If coach Hansi Flick convinces Ter Stegen to leave Camp Nou, Barca would immediately achieve financial balance.

Laporta and Deco are still struggling to meet La Liga's financial regulations to pave the way for the completion of Nico Williams' signing. Photo: Ara

Laporta and Deco are still struggling to meet La Liga's financial regulations to pave the way for the completion of Nico Williams' signing. Photo: Ara

Since the beginning of the summer, Barca has also generated some income from transfers and player departures. Como paid 7 million USD for Alex Valle, the 21-year-old defender Barca loaned out last season. West Ham's 45 million USD purchase of center-back Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice also earned Barca an additional 9 million USD thanks to a 20% profit clause included in the contract when they sold him to Nice in 2021. Clement Lenglet's contract was terminated two years early, and he has moved to Atletico Madrid.

Hoang Thong (*El Pais* & *The Athletic*)