La Liga president Javier Tebas says Nico Williams did not want to “risk” waiting for Barcelona to raise the funds needed to finalize his registration this summer.
Barcelona reached an agreement over personal terms with Williams, who was thought to be keen on making the move to Catalonia, but concerns over their ability to both fund a transfer and register him in the squad put the move in doubt earlier this month.
Williams then stunned fans by not only rejecting a move to Barcelona, but signing a new long-term contract to effectively bring his chances of a future Camp Nou switch to an end.
“What I’ve been able to read is that Nico Williams was asking for a registration guarantee, I don’t know what conditions, but that a football club like Barcelona wasn’t willing to give that guarantee,” Tebas told ESPN as he reflected on the failed transfer.
“I think Barcelona are in a similar situation to what happened in previous seasons, where they were signing players and waiting until the last minute.
“That’s something that can make some great players prefer not to take risks and enter an uncertain situation.”
Barcelona, who are not currently operating under La Liga’s 1:1 transfer rules—the freedom to spend €1 for every €1 raised—have now turned their attention to other targets, including Liverpool’s Luis Díaz and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, and Tebas admitted the reigning champions are close to being able to complete such deals.
“I think Barcelona know exactly what they have to do and if they decide to move properly, they can sign players,” he added.
“It’s close, in my opinion. The point is whether they consider they’ll make certain decisions to get closer, but they’re close.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as La Liga Chief Offers Reason for Barcelona's Failed Nico Williams Move.