Nico Williams seems to be one step away from wearing Barcelona's jersey. For the second consecutive summer, it seems that the blaugrana side will pay his release clause to trigger his departure from Athletic Club. As a result, journalist Juanma Rodríguez has spoken out, recalling in his recent column for Libertad Digital an aspect that won't be well received in the capital of Catalonia.
Juanma Rodríguez announces it: Nico Williams wanted to play for Madrid
Juanma Rodríguez has revealed that Nico Williams wanted to wear Real Madrid's jersey, something he actively tried to achieve. The representative of the Navarrese, Félix Tainta, tried to make his dream come true, something Florentino Pérez didn't accept. After that, he had no choice but to contact Barça, trying to convince Laporta to make this happen.
At 22 years old, Nico Williams would be clear that he doesn't want to keep playing at San Mamés, causing anger among its fans. People in Bilbao haven't been pleased that the winger is reliving what already happened last summer, triggering his departure to a club with which there are bad relations.
Nico Williams: Without a place
43 matches (often sidelined by injuries), 10 goals, 7 assists. He has directly contributed to 17 goals. Decent numbers for Athletic, but very poor for a Real Madrid.
Nico Williams offered himself to play at Santiago Bernabéu, trying to sit at the same table as Mbappé and Vinícius. That doesn't seem to be the case. The two stars of Madrid's attack are operating with different numbers.
Mbappé has played 56 matches, with 43 goals and 5 assists. He has directly contributed to 48 goals.
Florentino's response to Nico Williams's offer was clear: his position is more than covered. There's no interest, although at times his possible signing was considered. Now everything seems to indicate that he'll play for Barcelona, with Laporta making a move and offering him an off-the-charts salary.
The younger of the Williams brothers will earn €7 million net per season, in addition to receiving bonuses for titles and performance. Real Madrid doesn't operate with these figures, which would've completely broken the salary scale established by Florentino.
As Juanma Rodríguez has rightly said, now Nico Williams will have to settle for his second choice. From dreaming of succeeding wearing Real Madrid's jersey, to having to play for Barcelona... It won't be easy for him.