Barcelona are working on a move to sign Nico Williams from Athletic Club – that is the unanimous line from the Catalan capital. In order to do so, they must activate his €58m release clause, pay the taxes, and perhaps the trickiest part, find a way to register him.
La Liga President Javier Tebas made it clear that sales were a necessity for Williams to be registered, and Athletic have no intention of negotiating more favourable terms due to the poor relations between the clubs. MD say that Barcelona are optimistic about getting a deal done though.
Which players could Barcelona look to sell?
Ansu Fati seems an assured exit, although a deal with AS Monaco is yet to be closed at the time of writing. Nevertheless, the asset sales and the savings on his salary will not be sufficient to get Williams registered, and they must look for further sales, something admitted by the club.
Deco is at the airport. A flight to Bilbao leaves at 1:10 p.m, but it could be a coincidence. @gerardromero
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) June 18, 2025
Fermin Lopez
Fermin Lopez has been consistently linked with other teams, including Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Al-Ahli. Barcelona are open to a sale in the region of €60m, but Marca report that Lopez remains firmly committed to staying at the club.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen
The 33-year-old is due to start preseason behind Joan Garcia in a year where he must play in order to be Germany number one at next summer’s World Cup. Ter Stegen remains set on staying say MD, and Barcelona set on moving him on. He has three years left on his deal, and does not see himself as the back-up, and is confident of battling Garcia for the starting spot. Nevertheless, Barcelona remain convinced that this will change in the coming weeks.
Ronald Araujo
The Uruguayan central defender has made it clear he also wants to stay. He has a €65m release in the first half of July, and the club are open to a move, although Director of Football Deco prefers to keep him. Any deal, as with ter Stegen and Lopez, would require a club to convince him to leave.
Andreas Christensen
Sport also assert that Barcelona are running the numbers in attempt to register Williams if the deal is done. Andreas Christensen is keen to stay, but with a year left on his deal, Barcelona would like to move him on this summer. He has a high salary, but Barcelona could look to force his exit.
Oriol Romeu
After arriving for €3.4m two years ago, Oriol Romeu is not part of their plans, but has a year left on his deal. Barcelona are negotiating to terminate his deal, which will save them money in their salary limit.
Pau Victor
Barcelona have been fielding interest in forward Pau Victor for the past six months, and the player is open to moving in order to get more opportunities next season. The Blaugrana have reportedly put a €20m price tag on his head, but it remains to be seen what they can get for him.
Pablo Torre
Another potential exit is Pablo Torre. The 22-year-old has also been keen to stay, but does want more opportunities. Sevilla are one of a number of clubs interested, alongside Real Betis, Real Sociedad, Valencia, RCD Mallorca and Celta Vigo say Sport. Barcelona are keen to make a sale, with a buyback option though, and it is not yet clear what those sides are willing to offer.
