Barcelona president Joan Laporta is reported to have taken control of the club’s pursuit of Athletic Club winger Nico Williams, refusing to accept defeat in the transfer saga.

Williams had been Barcelona’s primary summer target, having performed consistently well in La Liga since 2022 and coming to international prominence with Spain at Euro 2024.

The 22-year-old has a €58m release clause in his Athletic Club contract but resisted Barca’s advances. Having made a decision to stay, it was thought only a late U-turn would see Williams playing his football anywhere but in the red and white stripes of his current club this coming season.

Athletic Club haven’t panicked about potentially losing Williams, instead focusing on creating the right project that would make him and others determined to stay.

But while Barcelona appeared to have accepted defeat by turning their primary attention to Dani Olmo and striking a deal for the RB Leipzig star, the latest report from SPORT suggests that Laporta won’t take no for an answer and has pushed sporting director Deco aside to re-engage with Williams.

Laporta has personally yearned for Williams and is said to believe a deal is still possible if talks are conducted in a particular way. The president is tipped to lean on a thinly veiled threat to the Williams camp that this is a one-time offer and the chance to join Barcelona will not come around again.

For their part, Barca could offer Williams a five-year contract worth €12m (before tax) per season, a considerable improvement on his salary at San Mames. It has been repeatedly claimed throughout the summer that the Catalan giants are on the cusp of shedding their financial limitations, with SPORT alleging that getting back onto La Liga’s 1:1 rules is just days away with incoming payments.

Laporta was recently accused of lying about Barcelona’s ability to sign Williams by rival presidential candidate Victor Font, who has claimed it isn’t a genuine possibility.

“I wish we could sign Nico Williams as it is what we need,” Font told The Athletic. “The president has said it is possible, but that is not true. Today, it cannot be done.

“We want to dream and to believe what we are being told. The problem is we’ve had three summers of being told all is fine, we’ll sign players and it’s all resolved. With every year that passes the credibility is falling. And this summer, if promises are not fulfilled, credibility will fall even further.”

READ THE LATEST BARCELONA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP