FC Barcelona clearly wanted to reinforce their attack in the last summer transfer window and to focus on this position, the Catalans also left one of the weakest positions in their team, the midfield pivot, without a reinforcement.
The top transfer target for the Blaugranes in this window was the Athletic Club winger, Nico Williams, but despite the efforts of the Catalan entity, they could not sign him.
Thus, the recent EURO 2024 winner will continue to play for the Basque side for another season. As SPORT has reported, the Athletic Club President, Jon Uriarte, speaking to a press conference after the end of the transfer window, commented on this subject and hoped to keep the winger in his team for the entirety of his career:
“We’ve moved on, and that chapter is closed. Nico has made it clear through his actions and words that he wants to stay here, and that’s very important for us. He has a contract until 2027. Keeping him is crucial for setting ambitious goals. As a club, we must work to ensure that the project is attractive to our players so that Nico can develop his entire career with us.”
Further commenting on Barcelona’s links with Nico, the Athletic Club President highlighted the role of the sense of belonging that players have to the Basque club as their biggest strength:
“An air of uncertainty has lingered because it seems there’s an unwritten rule that players must sign with what many call the big clubs. The Athletic Club’s project continues to grow, with a unique and distinctive sense of belonging and an ever-increasing ambition.”
“To those who underestimate our sense of belonging, I’d like to remind them that Athletic is a great club due to its history, its youth academy, its stadium, and for being unique in the world.”
Lastly, Uriarte also took a shot at Flick for hugging Nico at the end of the match between the two sides:
“Throughout the summer, Flick’s statements were normal and respectful, but that hug did surprise me. He explained that he congratulated him on the Euro victory, so I guess he must have done the same with Vivian… although I didn’t seem to see it.”
As Uriarte himself said, the chapter of Nico’s transfer to Barcelona will remain closed for some time now as the clubs turn their attention to actual football. But it might not be long before he again gets linked with the Blaugrana side, and might even end up playing along with his friend Lamine Yamal at Barcelona.
