Madrid: Athletic Club and FC Barcelona are in open conflict over Barca’s attempts to sign Spain international winger Nico Williams. Barcelona is trying to sign Williams for the second consecutive summer, but with Athletic unwilling to negotiate the sale of their star player, Barca’s only option is to trigger his release clause, reportedly set at 58 million euros (68 million U.S. dollars).
Barca has struggled to comply with La Liga’s strict financial fair-play rules. Dani Olmo was only cleared to play after the club appealed to Spain’s Superior Sports Committee, and it remains unclear whether the club is now in a financial position to register new signings without first offloading players.
Athletic was angered by an interview Barcelona sporting director Deco gave to La Vanguardia earlier this week, in which he openly discussed Williams, claiming the player had informed Athletic of his desire to join Barcelona.
In response, Athletic asked both La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to examine Barca’s financial situation - a move that angered Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who told local press that Athletic should “mind its business”, reports Xinhua. IANS
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