Barcelona urged Nico Williams to cut ties with his agent this summer after growing frustrated in their dealings with his existing representative, a report has revealed.
Williams had agreed to join Barcelona but watched the move collapse over the Catalan side’s inability to stay within La Liga’s financial regulations, and he put an emphatic end to the uncertainty by agreeing a new long-term contract with Athletic seemingly out of nowhere.
While Williams has insisted his connection to Athletic was behind his snub, SPORT suggest Barcelona may have driven the winger away with their conduct during negotiations.
Barcelona officials were unhappy with Williams’s agent, Félix Tainta, who they felt was being unnecessarily difficult in negotiations and delaying a final agreement over a summer transfer. One unnamed member of staff at Barcelona is said to have sent a private message to Williams urging him to cut ties with Tainta.
Instead, Barcelona wanted Williams to sign on with an agent who already has a close bond with the Catalan outfit, such as Jorge Mendes or Pini Zahavi.
It is claimed that this request from Barcelona left Williams stunned and furious, with the winger’s family all deciding they no longer wanted anything to do with the La Liga champions.
In response to the message, Williams and Tainta finalized a contract extension with Athletic that very evening, filming the promotional material later in the day and then seeing the agreement publicly confirmed the morning after.
The collapse in talks left Barcelona searching for another attacking signing, and they have ultimately decided to pursue Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford. An agreement has been reached to bring the England international in on an initial loan with an option to make the move permanent.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Revealed: The Barcelona ‘Message’ That Sparked Nico Williams’s Transfer U-Turn.