As per a recent report from El Correo, Athletic Club made significant efforts to block Barcelona from securing Nico Williams.
Allegedly, Athletic Club’s president, Jon Uriarte, personally reached out to LaLiga president Javier Tebas to express concerns about Barcelona activating Williams’ release clause.
It was conveyed that Athletic Club would not sit idly by if the clause was triggered.
Athletic Club doubted Barcelona’s ability to afford the transfer within the boundaries of La Liga’s financial regulations, and they even went as far as threatening to lodge a formal complaint to prevent Williams from leaving.
A detailed review of Barcelona’s financial situation led Athletic Club to believe that the transaction couldn’t be managed within legal limits, regardless of any financial adjustments made by the Blaugrana.
The club was prepared to contest the signing by arguing that it would breach salary cap regulations. Athletic Club was well aware of the provisions within the legislation to void transactions that exceed financial limits and felt confident in their position.
La Liga was promptly notified of Athletic Club’s intention to escalate the matter, which would have undoubtedly resulted in a significant dispute between the two clubs.
This would have required La Liga to intervene and assess whether the deal complied with financial guidelines stipulated by the league.
Presently, Athletic Club deems the issue resolved and anticipates that Williams will remain with them for the current season.
