On July 5, La Liga powerhouse Athletic Bilbao officially announced on Friday that the team has completed the contract extension with 22- year -old striker Nico Williams , and the contract has been extended to June 30 , 2035. The release clause has also increased by more than 50% on the original basis . This news shocked Barcelona, which was originally expected to sign him, and some media even said that Barcelona has expressed anger at being " tricked " .

It is reported that Nico Williams has become the highest-paid player in the Bilbao team after the contract extension. According to Spanish media AS, his new contract starts at 7 million euros (about 34.76 million ringgit) per year, and has bonuses and incremental clauses based on personal and team performance. This contract undoubtedly shows the club's high trust and attention to the Spanish international.

Surprisingly, before this, Nico Williams was widely believed to be moving to Barcelona, and the transfer was almost a done deal. There were reports that Barcelona had not only reached a preliminary agreement with the player himself, but was also prepared to pay the termination fee in his original contract. However, the situation reversed in a short period of time.

AS revealed that although Barcelona had shown great sincerity and pushed the transfer negotiations forward, the player's agent kept making new demands and changing the conditions, which led to obstacles in the negotiations. At the same time, Nico's attitude towards the outside world was still positive, which made Barcelona mistakenly believe that the deal was about to be completed.

In the end, the deal fell through at the last minute, but Nico chose to stay and renew his long-term contract with Bilbao. It is understood that Bilbao actively mediated behind the scenes, and Nico's agent had a close relationship with the club's top management, which may be one of the important reasons for the transfer failure.

This sudden " reversal " caused great dissatisfaction within Barcelona. Some senior officials privately said that the club felt they were being used, and their original trust in the players had now turned into anger. " He said one thing to your face and another behind your back, " a source bluntly said.

In any case, Nico Williams ' decision will undoubtedly have an impact on the La Liga transfer market. His stay not only consolidates Bilbao's forward strength, but also puts other suitors, especially Barcelona, in a passive position in recruiting players this summer. For Barcelona, this unfinished transfer is probably not only a failed operation, but also a blow to trust.