Nico Williams has been linked with a move away from Athletic Bilbao, with Arsenal also interested.
Nico Williams has distanced himself from his agent after claims that he refused a transfer to “Arsenal”.
The winger insisted that his decision to stay at Athletic Bilbao was one he agreed with his family and not his representatives. Williams’ agent Felix Tainta first addressed the transfer rumors that began in the summer of 2024, claiming he helped Williams say no to the likes of Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Liverpool.
However, the 24-year-old has since responded to the comments and closed the lawsuit. He said: “My brother was clear in what he said. It’s difficult when your name is involved in things like this. Felix was wrong in the words he used; that’s not what happened. The final decision rests with me, my brother and my family. Only we know what happened at home.”
However, he has confirmed he has rejected the Gunners’ interest in him, preferring to stay in Spain. Williams added: “I’ve never had any doubts about being here; I’ve had countless offers and I could have left, but I’ve always made it clear that I wanted to stay.
“My intention is to stay here; I have no doubt about it. I told Barça, Arsenal, PSG and many others that I am staying here. I hope people understand that. Although some people were angry after his statements, no one can say I don’t want to be here. I made the decision.
“No one forced me. I had offers from Barca and other European teams like PSG or Arsenal and I said no to all of them to be here. People can say whatever they want. It’s that simple. I have nothing to worry about. And I hope people understand.”
The winger’s agent recently called Williams a “Formula 1 machine” and claimed the Spaniard was responsible for preventing him from “becoming a problem” for another club. Tainta told the Los Fulanos podcast: “We all know about Barca’s interest in the summer of ’24 after the European Championship.
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“Barca, Arsenal, Bayern, Liverpool, PSG… I could name them all. Everyone wanted Niko and for one player to say no to all these clubs is no small feat. There were talks with Barca and Athletic were aware of them because even though Athletic were angry with Barca, I made them aware of the whole situation.
“Nico simply can’t go without playing. Nico is like a Formula 1 car; I’m not going to bring that kind of talent home for him to be a problem for you and I made that clear to Barça. We decided that without some guarantees we couldn’t risk Nico not playing, especially with the World Cup on the horizon.”
The 24-year-old agreed an eight-year contract extension with Athletic last summer, which will keep him in La Liga until 2035.
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