Nico Williams will be an FC Barcelona player. There is already a full agreement between the Navarrese winger and the club for the next six seasons. The contract is finalized and the €58 million ($58 million) release clause, plus CPI, will be paid in full.
The operation is underway and is in its decisive phase. However, for Nico Williams to be registered, Barça must carry out a series of required moves. Five players could leave the squad immediately.
Nico Williams playing with Athletic Club | Athletic Club
Five departures to free up salary space
"Mundo Deportivo" has confirmed that the club already has a concrete plan in place to free up salary mass. This plan would allow both Nico Williams and goalkeeper Joan García to be registered. Both players already have everything agreed with the Catalan entity.
The first on the list of departures is Ansu Fati. The winger is negotiating a loan with Monaco, where they'd take on a large part of his salary. This move would be key to unlocking Nico Williams's arrival.
Ansu Fati with Barça | @FCBarcelona
Marc-André ter Stegen is also on the table as a departure option. Although surprising, his exit would free up a large amount of salary mass. At Barça, they don't rule out any option if it helps finalize registrations.
The situation is delicate, but the club is clear: they must act with determination. LaLiga's requirements force very fine financial engineering. Joan Laporta wants to make sure there are no mistakes in the process.
Ter Stegen | @FCBarcelona
The summer's sacrifices
Andreas Christensen is another important name set to leave. The Danish center-back has offers from Saudi Arabia and only has one year left on his contract. His sale would be 100% beneficial for the club, as he arrived on a free transfer.
Meanwhile, Pau Víctor would also leave the team. His future seems to be at another LaLiga club. A quick sale is expected to help balance the books.
Christensen with Barça | @FCBarcelona
Pablo Torre is also on the list of departures. The young midfielder will go out on loan to get more minutes and continue growing. His absence frees up little salary space, but every euro counts in this context.
Oriol Romeu, who returns from Girona, could also leave the club. Everything points to his contract being terminated if no alternative exit is found. Barça wants to close all these moves as soon as possible.
Pablo Torre with Barça | @FCBarcelona
The 1:1 rule and Laporta's trust
Joan Laporta has confirmed to the senators that the club is already governed by the 1:1 rule. This means that every euro freed up can be used to register players. This is positive news that brings Nico Williams closer to Camp Nou.
In addition, Barça's president has assured that the pending matters, such as the VIP seats and the conflict with Libero, will be solved soon. With these issues settled and the planned departures, there will be no problem registering Nico.
Nico Williams with the national team | @nicolas_williams9
Nico Williams's signing will mark the start of the new sports project. Hansi Flick will have an electric, direct winger with dribbling skills. The Navarrese player has shown excitement about joining Barça and is already waiting for news from Bilbao.
The path is clear, though not without sacrifices. Five departures for a signing that could make the difference. Nico Williams is already a culé, and only official confirmation is missing.
