Deco defends Barcelona in Nico Williams saga, says Athletic Club should worry about agent | OneFootball

FC Barcelona and Nico Williams were at the center of one of the most high-profile transfer sagas across the last two summer windows. Despite heavy speculation, the operation fell through on both occasions, with the Spanish international ultimately committing his future to Athletic Club.

The failed pursuit not only brought disappointment for the Catalans but also created a sense of embarrassment, given the extensive media coverage surrounding the winger’s possible move.

Inevitably, Barcelona’s sporting director, Deco, was asked to address the matter during an interview with Mundo Deportivo (h/t MARCA).

Deco was quick to clarify that the Blaugranes never initiated contact with Nico Williams. Instead, it was the player’s entourage who offered him to Barça.

The Portuguese official explained that while Barcelona did sit down to listen, the talks collapsed because the club was unwilling to bow to demands they considered unreasonable.

“If a great player like Nico approaches us, when the agent contacts us, of course, we’re going to talk — and that’s what happened. Football works this way. For whatever reason, the player did not want the conditions that were proposed; the agent has his own interests, and we don’t know how it will play out, but there’s no controversy.”

Deco further explained the sticking point that prevented the transfer from materializing.

“We said we would not accept the conditions they were imposing because no player is going to dictate terms to us, and in the end, it’s fine. We gave a deadline to respond, they didn’t reply, they went their way, and we went ours.”

The Barcelona sporting director also took exception to Athletic’s actions off the pitch. He criticized the Basque club for raising concerns over Barça’s finances and Fair Play compliance to La Liga.

“I don’t want to get into matters that aren’t mine; I deal with players and the day-to-day management of the club, but I don’t think Bilbao is any kind of example in this regard. We didn’t go after their player; we didn’t pursue their player. They should be more concerned with the agent who came to Barça several times to offer the player.”

Nico Williams signed a long-term contract extension with Athletic last summer, keeping him at San Mames until 2035. His future, at least for now, appears tied to the Basque outfit.

Meanwhile, Barcelona have reinforced their attack in other ways, with Marcus Rashford and Roony Bardghji arriving last summer to bolster Hansi Flick’s frontline.