Athletic Club locks down Nico Williams with decade-long deal worth over €200M

Nico Williams isn’t going anywhere. The 22-year-old Spanish international has signed a contract extension with Athletic Club that runs through June 30, 2035, a deal reportedly worth approximately €21M per year that cements him as one of the best-paid players in La Liga and almost certainly the highest-paid player in Athletic Club’s 127-year history.

The renewal, announced on July 4 and formally signed on July 15, adds eight years to a previous agreement that was set to expire in 2027. His release clause has also jumped by more than 50%, climbing to roughly €90M from the previous range of €58-62M. For a club that only fields players with ties to the Basque Country, keeping a talent like Williams is existential, not just strategic.

Barcelona’s loss, Bilbao’s triumph

The backstory here makes the commitment even more notable. Barcelona reportedly reached a verbal agreement with Williams, who would have been one of the splashiest signings in recent Camp Nou history. But Barcelona being Barcelona in 2025, the deal fell apart over the club’s well-documented wage budget constraints and player registration issues.

Williams could have waited. He could have pushed for a move. Instead, he chose the club where he’s been since he was a kid in the under-12 academy, the same club where his older brother Iñaki also plays.

Reports indicate Williams will earn approximately €10M per year after taxes, a figure that would make him the best-compensated player in Athletic’s history by a comfortable margin.

Why Athletic bet big

Athletic Club qualified for the 2025-26 Champions League, their first appearance in Europe’s premier club competition in over 11 seasons. Williams is the cornerstone of that ambition.

His numbers back up the investment. By mid-2025, Williams had logged 167 appearances for the first team and scored 31 goals. Williams scored in the Euro 2024 final against England, helping Spain lift the trophy.

Athletic’s unique transfer policy, which restricts signings to players of Basque heritage, means the club can’t simply go shopping if a star leaves. Losing Williams to Barcelona or anyone else would have created a void that no amount of scouting could easily fill. The €90M release clause is designed to be prohibitively expensive.

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