Lamine Yamal wasn't the only Spain national team winger that signed his new contract extension this week, with his La Roja teammate Nico Williams also putting pen-to-paper on his new deal with Athletic Club.
Williams starred in one of the most scrutinized transfer sagas of the summer. It seemed like it was his destiny to join Yamal in Barcelona, but the Catalans' financial circumstances made the transfer collapse.
The 23-year-old winger decided he couldn't wait for Barça any longer and also discarded any possible move elsewhere to sign a new 10-year contract with childhood team Athletic Club. Williams put an end to the transfer saga and shared his feelings on the recently inked deal with the Basque club.
“With a lot of hope of course,” Williams admitted after signing his new contract. “We have a long season ahead of us. We have very ambitious titles like the Champions League, which everyone would like to play in. What could be better than doing it with the club of my life?”
💥 Nico Williams pone la firma a su fuerte vínculo con el @AthleticClub
— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) July 15, 2025
El carismático extremo ha rubricado en San Mamés el acuerdo hasta 2035. #AthleticWIN #AthleticClub 🦁
“I would like to continue making history here in San Mamés, with the fans and with my family,” Williams added.
Williams' new contract sees his release clause increase by 50% and will now be worth around €100 million ($116.3 million), making it even harder for Barcelona to pursue his transfer once again in the future.
Reports earlier in the summer suggested Williams was desperate to complete his move to Barcelona, even agreeing to personal terms with the reigning La Liga champions.
Williams will indeed make his Champions League debut in 2025–26, but he'll do so wearing the colors of Athletic Club alongside older brother Iñaki in their first appearance in Europe's premier club competition since 2014–15.
“He is a unique and exceptional player and retaining this talent at Athletic is fantastic news,” Athletic Club sporting director Mikel González said.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nico Williams Explains Reason Behind Barcelona Snub After Signing Contract Renewal.
