'There was not much we could do' - Barcelona deny they failed to sign Nico Williams due to registration concerns

Barcelona's pursuit of Nico Williams was one of the sagas of last summer. The Blaugrana did everything in their power to pair Lamine Yamal with Williams after they performed so well for Spain during their EURO 2024 triumph.

They did not, however, manage to close the deal and instead chose to sign Dani Olmo, who is currently one of the standout figures of Hansi Flick's side. Now, the real reason why the Athletic Club winger ultimately did not arrive at Barca has finally been revealed.

For a long time, the most widely accepted version of the story surrounding the failed signing was that the Spanish international chose to remain in Bilbao because Barcelona couldn't guarantee his registration with La Liga, given the club's well-known issues with complying with the salary cap. However, a source close to Barcelona's leadership has refuted this version, offering a much simpler explanation for why the younger Williams ultimately did not join the club.

During an interview with El Chiringuito — in which he also confirmed that PSG wanted to sign Lamine Yamal — Enric Masip, advisor to president Joan Laporta, explained: "If a player who is of your interest doesn't want to move, you don't have much leeway. There was not much you could do. It's hard for me to think that if you were going to sign Nico Williams, you wouldn't be able to register him. Barca weren't going to pay €50 million or €60 million for a player if they weren't going to be able to register him. So, well, it surely would have been done."

With Raphinha at the best level of his career and a team that functions incredibly well, it doesn't seem like Barcelona need Williams anymore. However, according to Sport, the Basque native remains the club's number one priority for next summer, as they want to sign a natural left winger given that Raphinha likes playing either on the right (where Yamal is untouchable) or through the middle.