Barcelona’s Financial Plan: Selling Lemonade to Buy Nico Williams

In a surprising turn of events, Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta has claimed that the club can afford to sign Athletic Bilbao’s breakout star Nico Williams this summer. The 21-year-old winger has been one of the standout performers at Euro 2024, helping Spain reach the semi-finals.

Despite Barcelona’s well-documented financial issues, Laporta insisted that the club can cope with a signing like Nico’s. “We can make a financial effort to sign Nico Williams,” he said on Catalunya Radio. “We will shortly be able to announce some good news with regard to the financial [issues] and we will be back within La Liga’s Fair Play limits.”

Nico Williams has a €55 million release clause in his contract with Athletic Bilbao, and Barcelona are reportedly willing to pay it. However, they would prefer to negotiate a lower fee. The club is currently working on their financial homework to ensure they can make the signing.

Barcelona’s interest in Nico Williams has been driven by the player’s impressive performances at Euro 2024, where he has formed a lethal partnership with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. The club sees him as a key target for the summer transfer window.

However, Barcelona’s financial situation remains a major hurdle. The club is still unable to register new signings due to their financial issues, which has handed Arsenal and Chelsea an advantage in the race to sign Williams.

Despite this, Laporta remains confident that Barcelona can pull off the signing. “We have to leave Deco to close the operations we are working on,” he said. “We will make a presentation and the idea is that he will hold a press conference before going on tour.”

The situation remains fluid, and Barcelona’s financial plan to sell lemonade to buy Nico Williams is still in the works. The club will need to overcome several financial hurdles to make the signing a reality.