Comments come after the Basque club met with La Liga officials this week concerning Barcelona’s pursuit of Nico Williams
Athletic Club have openly questioned whether Barcelona can afford to sign Nico Williams without breaking La Liga’s financial rules, after the Basque club held direct talks with league officials this week to express their concern.
Barcelona have made no secret of their admiration for the 22-year-old winger. Both sporting director Deco and president Joan Laporta have confirmed the club intend to sign the player, and reports from Spain suggest they are preparing to activate his €58 million release clause.
But Bilbao are not convinced Barcelona can legally do so.
The club said in a statement: “Athletic would like to thank La Liga for its cooperation and clarity during a meeting between the two organisations, in which Javier Tebas and Jon Uriarte, respective presidents of each entity, were present.
“The meeting in Madrid was held in response to a request made by Athletic concerning compliance with financial fair play rules.
“Among the issues discussed was Barcelona’s ability to sign players. Athletic have a legitimate interest in accessing relevant information about this, given that Barcelona’s director of football, Deco, publicly acknowledged that they will try to sign a player from our first team, a player who is under contract until June 30, 2027.
“Deco’s comments follow public statements made by Barcelona president [Joan] Laporta, who admitted that his club ‘is working to comply with the 1:1 rule’ and that, as a result, it does not currently meet the requirements of the said rule for player registration.”
Barcelona have faced long-running issues with La Liga’s strict financial controls, struggling to register players in recent windows despite high-profile signings. Last year, they were initially blocked from registering Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, although they later overturned that decision on appeal.
Meanwhile, Laporta responded to Bilbao’s statement: “I don’t understand Athletic’s reaction. With all due respect, everyone should worry about their own business. I don’t understand why they would go to La Liga to speak about Barcelona, which is nothing to do with them.”
