Athletic Bilbao president Jon Uriarte has hit out at the Spanish Football Federation for their handling of the transfer saga involving Nico Williams.
The 21-year-old is believed to be Barcelona's leading transfer target this summer, and the Catalan outfit are thought to be advancing on a deal for the forward.
A recent report claimed that personal terms have already been agreed between the two parties, and Barcelona must now decide whether they are willing to meet Williams' release clause of around €58m (£48.7m).
Williams has been constantly asked about his future while representing Spain at Euro 2024, and Uriarte has said that the Spanish Football Federation have not given him adequate protection.
"Nico is a player who is committed to Athletic. He has been subjected to a bombardment of questions about his future in an excessive and uncontrolled manner while at the European Championships. The RFEF have not protected him," Uriarte said in a statement.
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Williams continues to be heavily linked with Barcelona
"Respect between all the actors who make up football is a fundamental basis - or that's how we view it at Athletic - which does not include subjecting players with contracts at one club to public pressure to join other clubs."
Uriarte also insisted that Athletic can keep hold of Williams this summer despite the ongoing speculation, with teams from the Premier League, including Chelsea and Liverpool, also believed to be keen.
"There are no limits to Athletic's aspirations," he added. "We are demonstrating that we have an attractive project, a winning project for our players and our coach.
"The proof of that is that we have renewed the contracts of two of our internationals, Unai Simon (2029) and Dani Vivian (2032), while Nico signed a new deal last year until 2027. Various other sought-after players have also committed their future to the club.
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Athletic are confident of keeping Williams at San Mames
"Athletic are financially, socially and in sporting terms capable of keeping players of the caliber of those named in its structure, including Nico."
Williams scored eight goals and registered 19 assists in 37 appearances for Athletic during the 2023-24 campaign, while he has managed 20 goals and 26 assists in 122 outings for the Lions in total.
The forward has been one of Spain's key players at Euro 2024, scoring once and providing one assist to help La Roja reach the final of the competition, which comes on Sunday against England.
A decision on Williams's future is expected soon after the European Championship, and Athletic will be powerless to prevent him leaving if his release clause is activated.
A deal for Williams this summer could allegedly lead to Barcelona selling Raphinha, with Newcastle United said to be interested in the former Leeds United attacker.
Matt Law
