Athletic Club are celebrating the renewal of Nico Williams' contract, having managed to keep hold of the 22-year-old striker despite Barcelona's repeated attempts to sign him over the last two summers.
Los Leones have signed a new 10-year deal with Williams, keeping him at the club until 2035.
Williams had contacted Barcelona through his agent to express interest in a transfer to Camp Nou.
However, after Barcelona's uncertainty about signing the player, as they would have to pay the €58 million release clause, Williams decided to negotiate a new contract with Athletic.
As part of the renovation announcement, a video was released of Williams spraying the year "2035" on the famous mural where he and his brother, Iñaki, are painted.
After that, some of Athletic's actions were interpreted as indirect hits on Barcelona, with Athletic fans unhappy with Barcelona's overt attempts to lure the player.
The club's slogan for this renewal was "Athletic WIN", representing initially the names Williams, Iñaki, Nico, but also the victory in the battle to keep the striker. In the official statement, Athletic emphasized:
"His step forward in the face of dizzying offers is a great success for Athletic Club, an Athletic WIN in every sense."
The last word, "en toda regla" (in every respect/completely legal), was also interpreted as a jab at Barcelona, referring to the fact that the Catalans are over the salary cap and cannot register transfers - something Athletic had done very publicly with La Liga.
Athletic also posted an old photo of Nico Williams as a child, alongside the club's new signing, Robert Navarro.
😁 @willliamsssnico
- Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) July 4, 2025
😁 @robert10navarro
The best host. #NicoWilliams2035 #AthleticWIN ???? pic.twitter.com/zxJaE8GT2x
The latter was a product of La Masia and is seen in the photo wearing a Barcelona shirt. The post was captioned: "the best welcome", another possible irony towards Navarro's former club.
Williams' release clause has been significantly increased in his new contract. With Barcelona furious at the development, they have reportedly ruled out any future attempts to sign him.
Although there is interest from other clubs, such as Bayern Munich, it seems that Williams has confirmed his loyalty to Athletic Club, in contrast to the uncertainties of last summer./Express newspaper/
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