Félix Tainta says Barcelona could not give the certainty Williams needed to play, and the 24-year-old is tied to Athletic until 2035.
Barcelona could not give Nico Williams the guarantees his camp wanted, and that is why a move to Camp Nou collapsed, according to his agent Félix Tainta. The Athletic Club winger, who is 24, had been tipped to leave in consecutive summers, in 2024 and 2025. Tainta spoke about the talks on the Los Fulanos podcast.
Tainta said Barcelona's interest dated back to the summer of 2024, after the European Championship. He named Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain among the clubs that wanted the winger too. "Everyone wanted Nico, and having a player say no to all these clubs isn't easy."
Tainta said Athletic knew about the talks because he kept the club informed, and that "Athletic were angry with Barca for their methods." The interest peaked in 2025, when Barcelona were prepared to pay Williams's release clause to play him alongside his Spain teammate Lamine Yamal. The proposed move angered Athletic fans, who defaced a mural of their star player.
Tainta compared his client to a racing car when he explained why the move needed guarantees:
"Nico is a Formula 1 car. If I go to your house, I can't take on your problem."
Tainta said Barcelona could not provide firm guarantees over Williams's registration with La Liga. He also said there came a point where Williams "couldn't be without playing time." He tied the decision to the World Cup that was coming up: "We decided that if there weren't certain guarantees, we couldn't risk Nico not going there to play, with a World Cup coming up, and not just with a World Cup, but because he's a professional who has to perform his duties."
Tainta also admitted that his client had considered leaving. "Nico had the idea of leaving," he added. "He's ambitious, and at Athletic you know the limitations, you know you're not going to win a Champions League, maybe a league title." Tainta said he asked Williams whether he wanted him to fight for a new deal, and Williams agreed. "And that's how we renewed."
Athletic posted a video of the winger on its social channels. In it, Williams said: "When you have to make decisions, for me, what weights most is the heart." He added: "I am where I want to be, with my people, this is my home. Aupa Athletic!"
After the deal collapsed, Barcelona signed Marcus Rashford on loan in 2025 and paid for Anthony Gordon last summer. Williams's older brother Iñaki, who is 32, has also spent his whole senior career at Athletic.
Williams joined Athletic's academy at the age of 11 and is tied to the club until 2035, one of the longest professional contracts of any player in Europe's major leagues. His new deal still includes a release clause.
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