Barcelona were left disappointed in their pursuit of Nico Williams for the second summer in a row as the young winger opted to renew his contract with Athletic Club despite having committed to join

The breakdown in negotiations came following the revelation that Barcelona are not yet operating under La Liga’s 1:1 financial rules and, as it stands, would not be able to register Williams in their squad—a similar dilemma which plagued the club after last season’s acquisition of Dani Olmo.