Barcelona take key target’s signing for granted, but player’s entourage still on the edge

It is no secret at this point that Barcelona’s top target for the ongoing summer transfer window is Nico Williams.

The Athletic Club star impressed at the recently concluded Euros and was even named man of the match in the final against England.

What stood out throughout the event, however, was his special dynamic with Lamine Yamal and Barcelona hope to reunite the duo at the club level.

Optimism in Catalonia

The overall mood in Catalonia over Williams’ transfer has been positive despite the club’s financial struggles. In fact, word has it that the club have even proposed a long-term contract to the player’s entourage.

According to reports from Santi Ovalle, several members of the Barcelona administration take it for granted at this point that the club will sign the Athletic Club superstar.

People in Nico’s entourage, however, are not entirely optimistic. While they do not close the door on the Blaugrana, they assure that the deal is far from complete.

After all, Barcelona still need to achieve the 1:1 Financial Fair Play rule before they can pull the trigger on the move and activate his €58 million release clause.

Hitting the accelerator

As revealed earlier today, Barcelona met with the 22-year-old’s agent recently and are in a rush to get the deal over the line.

The priority, as it stands, is to reach an agreement over personal terms with the player and lock him in before either activating his release clause or negotiating a lower fee.

Ideally, Hansi Flick will want the new signing to be part of his plans for the pre-season tour in the United States.

With no big sales made yet, however, the question remains whether Barcelona can sign Nico immediately.