Barcelona were dealt a huge blow to their transfer plans on Friday when Nico Williams opted to renew his contract with Athletic Club until 2035 despite having previously agreed to join the

“Athletic Club forward Nico Williams has put pen to paper on a 10-year deal keeping him in Bilbao until 30 June 2035,” a statement read. “Nico’s new agreement has an increase in the release clause of more than 50% over the previous one.

The transfer of Nico Williams from Athletic to Barcelona did not go through because the player demanded a clause in the contract allowing him to leave if registration was not possible, which the Catalan club refused,