Barcelona to Sell Player for €60M to Finance Nico Williams Transfer
Barcelona is navigating the transfer market cautiously due to Financial Fair Play restrictions and La Liga’s strict salary caps. Despite these hurdles, they’ve already completed their first summer signing, securing Espanyol goalkeeper Juan Garcia for his €25 million release clause.
The sporting directorate, led by Deco, is now intensifying efforts to finalize the acquisition of Nico Williams by paying his €58 million release clause to Athletic Bilbao.
An agreement between the club and the player is already settled, with Hansi Flick personally contacting Williams and Deco meeting with his agents to agree on salary and personal terms. The only remaining step is to pay Athletic Bilbao’s release clause.
However, Barcelona faces one significant obstacle: how to finance the deal and, more specifically, how to create room on their roster to register Nico Williams. The club needs a major sale to free up sufficient space on their wage bill.
For this reason, Hansi Flick has given Barcelona the green light to offload one of their players who commands a strong market: Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo. Araujo is reportedly not in Flick’s plans for the defense next season, and the coach has opened the door for his departure to allow the club to fund new signings like Nico Williams.
According to El Nacional, Barcelona’s management has welcomed Flick’s recommendation and decided to approve Araujo’s sale if an offer of at least €60 million is received. Premier League clubs, Bayern Munich, and Juventus are all reportedly interested.
