Nico Williams rejected Barcelona over registration guarantees

Nico Williams rejected the Barcelona option, with his representative Félix Tainta saying the club could not provide the necessary assurances over his registration. Speaking on the Los Fulanos podcast, the agent revisited talks that followed the 2024 European Championship and explained why he advised the Spain international against taking the risk.

Tainta described the interest in Williams: “Everyone knows about Barcelona’s interest in the summer of 2024, after the European Championship. Barcelona, Arsenal, Bayern, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain — I could name all of them. Everyone wanted Nico, and having a footballer who says no to all those clubs is not easy.”

But, in Tainta’s account, the key issue was whether Williams would actually be able to play. The representative said negotiations with Barcelona had reached a point where uncertainty over registration made the move too risky for a player who needed to continue his career without interruption. He also said he dealt directly with the club’s sporting director, Deco.

“If there were no certain guarantees, we could not risk Nico going there and then not playing, with a World Cup coming up,” Tainta said. He added that a professional had to be able to practise his trade even without a World Cup on the horizon. Barcelona’s own problem, he insisted, should not be allowed to affect his client.

The agent also said Athletic had been kept informed throughout the discussions, while being unhappy with the way Barcelona had handled matters. Tainta said talks took place in the summer of 2024 and again the following year, with the later discussions carrying greater weight. He said his responsibility was to protect his client rather than accept a transfer at any cost.

That caution did not amount to a breakdown in relations with Barcelona, he argued: straightforward dealings mattered whether or not the parties reached an agreement. Athletic understood that Williams might want a new challenge, Tainta added, but the player ultimately chose to renew. The agent said Williams could have left on a free transfer and collected a substantial signing-on payment. “We could have left for free with an incredible signing-on bonus, and we didn’t. The lad was loyal to Athletic.”