The €100m reason why Barcelona will end Nico Williams interest if he does not sign this summer | OneFootball

Barcelona are losing hope of signing Nico Williams this summer. They’ve pushed hard to tempt him away from Athletic Club, but their expectation is that he will continue in Bilbao for at least one more season.

If this does happen, Barcelona are expected to pull their interest in Williams altogether, meaning that they will not try to sign him next summer – or any other summer, for that happen. Supporters considered this approach to be petulant, although there does appear to be some reasoning behind it.

According to MD, Athletic will look to offer Williams a new contract if he decides to reject a move away. His current clause is €58m – which Barcelona could afford to pay – but it would increase to €100m if he were to sign a new deal. If the 22-year-old agrees to this, the Catalans will move on completely.

This appears to be the reason why Barcelona will not pursue Williams anymore if he turns them down now. It does make sense, especially if Athletic Club were to refer to that clause going forward, as they have done with the €58m one this summer.