Despite Barcelona President Joan Laporta claiming they have the means to execute Nico Williams‘ €58m release clause now, much of the information coming out of Can Barca contradicts that. Meanwhile Athletic Club remain confident of keeping Williams, in part due to the finances of the Catalan side.
It has been widely reported that if Barcelona manage to execute some of the business and sponsorship deals they are working on, then they will be back within their salary limit and able to sign without restrictions. However in order to do so, and commit the Williams operation, Matteo Moretto has explained to Football España that the information reaching him from the club is that Barcelona must still secure a significant player sale before they can front the money for the Williams deal.
Koundé went to the training facilities just three days after his elimination in EURO 2024, though it remains uncertain whether he will immediately join Flick's training sessions or take a few more days off. @jbatalla7
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) July 12, 2024
The Basque winger’s cost will be ammortised over a long contract if the Blaugrana do manage to execute his release clause, but with a large agent fee and a reasonably high salary too, will not be a cheap deal. The 21-year-old appears to be the number one target for Barcelona, and if he is to move, he would prefer to head to Barcelona, but until their ability to do a deal is confirmed, it remains a hypothetical.
