Nico Williams move sabotaged?! La Liga chief accused of sharing confidential financial information which led to collapse of proposed Barcelona transfer

Williams, who had attracted serious interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Barcelona, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich, stunned the football world by signing a contract extension with Athletic. The new agreement not only ties the 21-year-old winger to the Basque side for 10 more years but also significantly raises his release clause by 50 per cent, from €58 million (£50m/$68m) to €87m (£75m/$102m).

Before the renewal, Barcelona appeared to be in pole position, reportedly close to reaching terms with Williams and showing intent to meet his then-existing release clause. However, this promising transfer quickly unravelled. Miguel Galan, the president of Spain’s National Centre for Football Coaches (CENAFE), publicly accused Tebas of breaching protocol. Galan claims that during a private meeting with Athletic representatives, Tebas revealed sensitive financial documents and audit reports belonging to Barcelona.

Moreover, La Liga's president allegedly stated that the club lacked the necessary liquidity or financial room within the league’s salary cap structure (LCPD) to register new signings under financial fair play guidelines. A report by auditing firm Crowe Auditores Espana was also reportedly presented to bolster these claims.

Galan wrote on X: "Meeting of @AthleticClub with @Tebasjavier revealing confidential information about @FCBarcelona_es. Today I was able to learn what was said in the famous meeting between @Tebasjavier and @AthleticClub.

"At said meeting, the president of @AthleticClub was shown the information from FC Barcelona's interim financial statements, allowing him to verify on-site that the profit and loss statement did not reflect any amount related to the corporate operation of selling VIP seats. Furthermore, the president of LaLiga explicitly reported on the reduction of FC Barcelona's LCPD and that it had neither the balance nor the capacity for registration, in compliance with financial fair play. Finally, he also presented the limited review report signed by Crowe Auditores España SL.

"According to the confidential information that was revealed to Athletic Club de Bilbao, a situation arose in which Nico Williams requested an additional guarantee in the form of a release clause. FC Barcelona, acting with good judgment, was not willing to accept said condition. Consequently, the non-signing of Nico Williams is attributed solely to the distrust generated by the president of LaLiga toward the player's agent, as well as toward the player himself and his family.

"Following the meeting between the president of LaLiga and the president of Athletic Club de Bilbao, confidential financial information about FC Barcelona was provided to Nico Williams, which was exaggerated in order to generate concern in the player's family and attempt to convince them to include a release clause that lacked any logic."

Following this alleged information exchange, Athletic's top brass reportedly relayed the financial concerns to Williams and his advisors. The revelation prompted the winger’s camp to request a conditional release clause in any potential Barcelona agreement, a clause the Blaugrana board was unwilling to accommodate, citing the lack of precedent or legal logic for such a condition.

Losing out on Williams is a significant blow for Barcelona, especially given how close they were to sealing the deal. Williams would have been a tactical fit for new manager Hansi Flick, offering pace, versatility, and chemistry with Lamine Yamal, his Spain teammate.

Barcelona, already grappling with several financial challenges, are now left scrambling for alternatives in the market. One name circulating as a possible replacement is Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, who has been loosely linked with a move to the Nou Camp in the past.