The breakdown in negotiations came following the revelation that Barcelona are not yet operating under La Liga’s 1:1 financial rules and, as it stands, would not be able to register Williams in their squad—a similar dilemma which plagued the club after last season’s acquisition of Dani Olmo.

The night of Thursday, 3 July, was especially eventful in Bilbao. With complete discretion, Athletic Club and Nico Williams’ representatives prepared one of the biggest bombshells of the summer,