Barcelona deny reaching an agreement with top transfer target as decision looms

Crucial hours are ahead in Barcelona’s pursuit of Nico Williams.

The Blaugrana have been eyeing the Spanish winger’s signing for a long time now, with his strong displays at Euro 2024 only serving as a catalyst.

With the player on holiday, however, negotiations were placed on hold as Williams pondered over what would be the next step in his career.

The youngster returned to Bilbao earlier this week and Athletic Club are said to have given him a deadline of this weekend to make his decision. As revealed a while back, a decision is expected in the coming hours.

Is there an agreement?

It has widely been reported in recent weeks that Barcelona have an agreement in place with Williams’ agent over a long-term contract and that only the player’s green light was pending.

According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, however, Barça sources deny having any form of agreement with the player’s entourage.

No contract agreement. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

The internal sources blatantly refute the reports and stress that had it been the case, Barcelona would have paid the release clause directly without waiting for a formal decision from Williams.

The interest from France

Barcelona have been relatively calm and unfazed through the Nico Williams saga despite not having a promising economic situation.

PSG’s entry onto the scene in recent days, however, has the Blaugrana offices sweating.

The French giants are willing to pay a fortune to sign the Euro 2024 final man-of-the-match and offer a sum Barcelona cannot contemplate at the moment.

While the interest from France is tempting, it is said to be Williams’ priority to stay in Spain.

The Ligue 1 option, however, gains traction when one considers that they are not direct rivals to Williams’ current team.