Nico Williams Performs Last-Minute Request Before £50m Transfer to Barcelona — Club Must Offload Players to Complete Deal

Nico Williams has submitted a final demand to Barcelona ahead of his imminent transfer, following his desire to leave Athletic Club. At 22 years old, Williams has expressed his wish to depart Bilbao this summer, with interest from Bayern Munich and Arsenal also reported. Earlier in June, negotiations were thought to be ongoing with both Bayern and Barcelona, but Williams ultimately favored the Catalan giants.

Barcelona, managed by Hansi Flick’s preferred target this transfer window, will need to sell existing players to adhere to La Liga financial regulations. Williams is insisting on being registered in their 2025-26 squad upon signing, to ensure a smooth transfer process, according to reports.

He must be registered alongside goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who was recently signed from Espanyol. However, La Liga has indicated that Barcelona has yet to comply with the league’s strict salary and revenue rules, which require clubs to balance expenses with income or wage savings. As a result, Barcelona may need to offload players such as Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, Pablo Torre, or Ansu Fati, whose future is uncertain.

This situation has caused some hesitation from Williams, who appears eager to avoid the complications experienced by Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, whose registrations were revoked after signing with Barcelona due to regulatory issues. Although the players were able to participate in matches last season, there were concerns that registration problems could have led to their absence.

Barcelona is reportedly awaiting the start of the new financial year on June 30 to officially finalize their signings, which may explain the delay. Last season, Williams scored 11 goals and supplied seven assists in 45 appearances for Athletic Club, helping them finish fourth in La Liga.