Barcelona target wants to leave the door open for future move despite closing in on new contract

Over the past week, it has emerged that Barcelona will miss out on the opportunity to sign talented winger Nico Williams for free next summer as he is set to sign a new contract at Athletic Club.

The 21-year-old has been on the radars of Barcelona and Real Madrid and a few clubs in the Premier League as well.

The fact that his contract expires in 2024 had served to pique the interest of the Blaugrana, who are on the lookout for reinforcements on the left wing.

Nico Williams on the verge of renewal

But any hopes of being able to sign Nico Williams are set to be dashed now as the 21-year-old is on the verge of renewing his contract at Athletic Club.

As per reports, the Spanish international will only sign a short-term contract for two years while his release clause will remain untouched at €50 million.

While the renewal would mean that he will no longer be available to be picked up for free next summer, the exit clause would be certainly affordable.

Nico wants to leave the door open

Now, Alfredo Martinez on SPORT has highlighted that Nico Williams will be signing for only a couple of years and with an affordable release clause amount so as to not block a future exit or a future offer from a big team, like Barcelona or a Premier League side.

Nico wants the termination clause, which currently stands at €50 million, not to increase so that he has the freedom to negotiate his future more easily.

The 21-year-old knows that he is young and that opportunities to make the jump to the Premier League or Barcelona will arise in the coming years and he wishes to leave that door open.

Whether Barça consider triggering the clause in the future, once their economic conditions improve, remains to be seen. For now, a Bosman move for Nico Williams appears to be off.