Barcelona give massive guarantee to €70m target’s entourage

COLOGNE, GERMANY - JUNE 30: Nico Williams of Spain celebrates scoring his team's third goal with teammate Dani Olmo during the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 match between Spain and Georgia at Cologne Stadium on June 30, 2024 in Cologne, Germany.

Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images

Every summer, especially in recent times, FC Barcelona have had to tread with care. Not every operation goes as smoothly as the Catalan club would have hoped, and things can get messy really fast. That is why, particularly for Barcelona, patience and procedure are vital to finalizing deals.

At the moment, the priority target for FC Barcelona this summer will be Nico Williams without a doubt. The 22-year-old Athletic Club winger announced himself to the world following his campaign with both his club and his country last season, especially in the European Championship.

Beyond just scoring a decisive goal in the final, the Spanish winger has been turning heads thanks to his blazing speed and immense trickery on the ball. Finally, now more than ever before, Barcelona are close to making him one of their own.

However, the official act of paying his €58 million release clause is still to be settled. Yet, to give assurance to the player ahead of a major transfer, Alex Pintanel (h/t Reshad Rahman) reports that Barcelona have finally sent a direct message to the player’s entourage, informing them that they will be able to activate his release clause.

This is massive news, as it gives a guarantee to his entourage that the player’s release clause will not be an obstacle for Barcelona. Even if the player’s camp may have previously been skeptical under any circumstance, they would now be much more assured in this operation.

Barcelona have reportedly transmitted patience to the entourage of Nico Williams and continue to give them clarity. The aim is to get the operation fully wrapped up before the first half of August, since the player is expected to return to Athletic Club by the 12th of next month.

However, the latest report from Pintanel states that Barça hope to have the deal completed well before that point. At the rate things are going, the coming week or two will be incredibly crucial in ensuring that Nico Williams is wearing the Blaugrana colors before the end of the summer.