From Griezmann's pumpkins to Nico's

BarcelonaIn the summer of 2018, Barça was eyeing the signing of Antoine Griezmann, then Atlético Madrid's star player. The French forward wanted a change of scenery and agreed to wear the Blaugrana jersey to share the team with Leo Messi and company. Talks were not only advanced, but a full agreement had been reached with him. The contract was close to being signed. But at the last minute, he backed out and decided to stay at the Coliseum club. The plot twist caused unrest among the Blaugrana leadership, led by Josep Maria Bartomeu. For the why and the how. And they found out through the documentary. The decision that was prepared by Gerard Piqué's production company, who despite knowing how things would end, did not inform anyone.

In the case of Nico Williams There hasn't been a documentary, but the media spectacle has been similar. Both Barça and the Athletic player had everything tied up. Deco, the Barça sporting director, had spoken openly about the signing, the club had sought the 64 million necessary to pay the release clause, and all that remained was to draft the contract and sign it. Suddenly, when the player's agent, Félix Tainta, asked to add an addendum to the text stating that Nico would be free if he couldn't be registered, everything stopped. And from one day to the next, a statement from Athletic appeared stating that the player had renewed until 2035. The Camp Nou offices found out through social media. "We knew he had asked for time to think about it, but not that he was negotiating a renewal," says one of the directors consulted.

Barça's official version is to show calm and accept that the signing hasn't ended up being completed "as so often happens in the world of football." But internally, they admit to being uneasy because they suspect that, behind it all, Nico and his agent have used the club to secure an upwardly mobile renewal with Athletic Club, where he will become the highest-paid player in the squad, with a salary above what he was offered at Barcelona. He will earn eight million net, which will rise to ten million at the end of the contract. The buyout clause also increases, although it remains around 90 million, a figure equally accessible for major European clubs.

Barça insists that it was Nico who offered himself

Barça maintains that it was Nico who offered himself to the club. Last year, after the European Championship, signing the younger of the Williams brothers was a priority. But the uncertainty surrounding the fair play It raised many doubts, and it was the player who declined the offer. According to sources consulted by this newspaper, President Laporta didn't want to hear anything about Nico this summer because he felt he hadn't trusted his project. But he changed his mind when the agent contacted the club. The fact that it was the player who now offered to come, and his friendship with Lamine Yamal, changed things substantially. Furthermore, this season there is much more optimism at Camp Nou regarding Barça's ability to sign and register players—the club is not yet under the 1:1 rule and there must be departures, but they assume they will eventually operate normally.

Everything came to a standstill a week ago when, despite Barça's word, the agent asked for guarantees that Nico could be registered. Otherwise, he wanted to add a release clause, allowing the player to leave for any club for free. The club suspects that at that point he already had a renewal offer on the table and was playing both sides. Barça's position was clear: they wouldn't accept. And from then on, there was no further movement. Tainta asked for time for the player to think it over, and the story ended on Friday morning with the announcement of the renewal.

"Flick was also surprised; he thought it was a done deal, that there was a commitment," Uli Hoeness told BR24Sport on Saturday. The honorary president of Bayern Munich maintains a very good relationship with the Barça coach, who is currently on vacation in the Bavarian town of Tegernsee. In the interview, Hoeness finds it understandable that Athletic Club fought to renew their player, but believes Nico's attitude was not the right one. In this sense, he believes the door has been closed to him at Bayern, a club that was also interested in signing the winger at the time.

Luis Díaz and Rashford, the alternatives

While Griezmann had a second chance, and he ended up signing for Barça in the summer of 2019, with Nico, there will be no more opportunities to play at Camp Nou. Now, Barça, still searching for a winger, is reactivating the Luis Díaz option, although they are aware that it won't be easy to sign the Liverpool player, both due to the price—at least 60 million—and the sudden death of his teammate Diogo Jota. The alternative is Marcus Rashford, with whom a loan deal could likely be reached with Manchester United.