
Official: Nico Williams rejects Barcelona for 2nd time to sign new Athletic Club contract
Athletic Club star Nico Williams has on Friday dropped nothing short of a bombshell on all of Spanish football.
This comes amid confirmation that the 22-year-old has put pen to paper on a new contract in Bilbao.
Wide-man Nico had of course taken his place front and centre in the media chatter across La Liga for several weeks now.
This came after word was forthcoming that Barcelona, after missing out on the winger last summer, had reignited their pursuit of his signature.
Nico even went as far as to agree on the terms of a contract to link up with Hansi Flick’s squad.
🚨🔵🔴 Nico Williams and Barça have agreed personal terms on 6 year deal!
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 19, 2025
Agreement sealed on player’s contract until June 2031 with the salary in the region of €7/8m net per season.
Barça are currently working on financial terms to get deal done with Athletic.
The widespread expectation, in turn, was that the Spanish international’s long-awaited Camp Nou switch was essentially imminent.
It has therefore come as nothing short of a shock to learn of Nico, instead, committing to his current employers for the next 10 years.
As per a statement across Athletic Club’s website and social media platforms:
‘Nico Williams signs eight-year contract extension at Athletic Club, until 2035. The red and white winger will stay the next ten seasons at the club of his heart and his release clause increase more than 50% over the previous one.’
💥 Nico Williams signs eight-year contract extension at Athletic Club, until 2035.
— Athletic Club (@Athletic_en) July 4, 2025
The red and white winger will stay the next ten seasons at the club of his heart and his release clause increase more than 50% over the previous one.#NicoWilliams2035 #AthleticWIN 🦁