Athletic Club send public message to Barcelona over Nico Williams

The powers that be at Athletic Club have this week moved to send a crystal clear message to La Liga rivals Barcelona, over the future of star winger Nico Williams.

The name of attacker Williams has of course long positioned itself front and centre in the headlines in the Spanish media.

As much comes amid the widespread understanding that the 22-year-old has been identified as the no.1 summer transfer target on the part of the aforementioned Barcelona.

The Blaugrana, in turn, have ramped up negotiations with Williams’ entourage, close to finalising an agreement over the terms of a long-term contract.

From here, it will simply be a matter of activating the Spanish international’s €58 million release clause, with many outlets having therefore pointed towards the transfer as being something of a formality.

Evidently, however, the board at Williams’ current club are of an altogether different opinion.

In a clear signal of intent, Athletic Club on Monday unveiled their new jerseys for the season ahead, in the club’s official store.

And, notably, only one name featured emblazoned across the back of the shirts in question… that of Nico Williams.

Conor Laird | GSFN