Zenit Saint Petersburg were "happy to help" Barcelona in their attempts to sign Nico Williams, but now, in a funny turn of events, the Russian club have demanded their money back.
After months of speculation about his future, it was confirmed on Friday that Nico Williams has renewed his contract with Athletic Bilbao for eight years, with a release clause of 90 million euros (around £77 million).
Williams had been heavily linked with a move to La Liga champions Barcelona. In June, it was widely reported that the player had agreed personal terms with the Catalan club on a six-year contract.
But the Spain international decided to reject the offer to join his close friend Lamine Yamal at Camp Nou, choosing to stay at Los Leones alongside his brother Iñaki.
“When it comes to making decisions, for me the most important thing is to listen to your heart,” Williams said after the renewal. “I’m where I want to be, with my people. This is my home. Aupa Athletic!”
Last month, during Barcelona's pursuit of Williams, Zenit Saint Petersburg made a surprising decision by donating money to the Catalan club. In a TikTok post, they wrote:
“For Nico Williams from Zenit.”
Later, a Zenit administrator humorously explained the reason behind this "donation", after a Barcelona fan page posted a screenshot of the donation. The response was:
"You gave us Malcom, so we're glad we helped!"
Malcom, after a short spell at Barça where he scored 4 goals in 24 games, joined Zenit in 2019 for around £36.5 million.
He made over 100 appearances for the Russian club and was the top scorer in the Russian Premier League in the 2022/23 season, when Zenit was declared champion.
In 2023, he was sold to Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia for around 60 million euros.
But just two weeks after this gift, Zenit has reacted with humor to Nico's decision to stay in Bilbao. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), they commented:
“Can we get our money back?”
In their official statement, Athletic Club said:
"This renewal marks a historic moment in the history of the red and black club and confirms a path that has also been followed by other players such as Unai Simón, Oihan Sancet, Dani Vivian, Mikel Jauregizar, Beñat Prados or coach Ernesto Valverde.
And, of course, his brother Iñaki Williams, the captain of this team that is now historic and generational."
They added:
"The step forward that Nico Williams has taken with this renovation fills the entire Athletic family with pride and opens up a future as ambitious as it is exciting. This is the famous Athletic, the famous Athletic Club."
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