Laporta hits back at Athletic Club reaction over Nico Williams pursuit – ‘Don’t think it’s appropriate’ | OneFootball

Speaking to the media, Barcelona president Joan Laporta opened up on Athletic Club’s reaction over the Catalans’ pursuit of Nico Williams.

By this point, it is clear that Barça are gunning to sign the 22-year-old winger from the Basque club, with an agreement over personal terms already secured.

The La Liga champions plan on paying his €62 million release clause next week before the deal can be made official.

However, Athletic Club are planning to take the matter to La Liga to try and block their homegrown player’s exit by citing Barcelona are not in compliance with the Financial Fair Play rules.

Laporta reacts

Expressing his dismay at the situation, Laporta said: “We don’t have bad relations with Athletic. In recent years there have been a series of misunderstandings and incidents, but I don’t think that’s why Barça can be said to have bad relations with Athletic.

“In this sense, I don’t understand it (the unease) because the reactions that they are having, with all due respect, everyone should focus on their own thing.”

“I don’t understand Athletic going to talk about Barça to La Liga, I don’t think it’s appropriate, but they will know what they are doing,” the president stated emphatically.

Regarding the club’s financial situation and their return to the 1:1 rule, Laporta added: “When in doubt… We are working to be in the 1:1 rule, which in fact we were in the winter market.”

Barcelona will sign Nico Williams next week. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

“All the steps have been taken to be able to sign normally and that we are not financially intervened by fair play. At the moment I think we can sign normally. Obviously, we have to comply with certain parameters and we are doing so.

“With the fulfilment of these parameters, we will be able to sign the players we want to sign.”

On transfers

When pressed further about Nico Williams, Laporta firmly redirected the questioning by saying:

“Let me not talk about names. We are attentive to all the opportunities that appear on the market. We took advantage of an opportunity that arose for Joan Garcia.

“All those that the director of football tells us the club can and wants to deal with, we will try to do so. Whenever we see a market opportunity, we will take it. I’m not going to talk about names.”

Laporta also offered an update on Ansu Fati’s expected departure, saying: “If everything goes well, this week we could have very good news and he would go to Monaco.”

Also providing an update on the Spotify Camp Nou return, he added: “It is planned that on 10 August, for the Gamper, we will be back home. You know that it will be with a limited capacity, the capacity we can have at that moment.

“When we return, in the first official match, it will be with more and more seats. We have been working for four months on the return to the stadium and we are very excited.”

Source: SPORT