Barcelona slammed for ‘dirty’ transfer tactics which led to Marcus Rashford move

Barcelona have been accused of telling lies around their attempts to sign Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao, a failed deal that supposedly led to Marcus Rashford arriving from Manchester United instead

Inaki Williams has said Barcelona carried out a “dirty” media campaign around trying to sign his brother Nico from Athletic Bilbao this summer.

A failed attempt to sign the Spain international apparently led to Barca instead shifting their focus to a loan deal for Marcus Rashford, with an obligation to buy built in next summer.

However Inaki Williams, Athletic Club’s captain, has said most of the coverage around his sibling’s transfer that never happened was a lie.

“My brother not joining Barca? Much of what has been said about Nico is a lie,” Inaki Williams said. “They have carried out a media campaign, thinking it would work for them. They have dirtied many things.

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“My brother Nico had many options of where to go, not just A or B. What happened with Nico hasn’t been easy. They (Supporters of Athletic Club) broke one of his car windows.

“On a family level, it’s been a bit complicated because there’s been a lot of talk about my brother, and much of what’s been said about Nico is untrue. All he’s done is remain silent.

“Everyone has the right to think and reflect on their future. At many points this summer, people haven’t been fair to my brother. When someone goes to a restaurant and they get the menu, it sometimes takes them minutes to choose.

“My brother’s decision wasn’t easy. Nico’s maturity has been incredible, with a wide range of options, and he’s opted for Athletic, which is a club that’s making giant strides, and we have one of the best teams in these 12 years that I’ve been in the first team.”

Barcelona chief Joan Laporta claimed earlier this month that a “big difference” in payment terms saw them withdraw from the race to sign Nico Williams before they eventually decided to sign Rashford on loan from Manchester United. They also had an interest in Luis Diaz before he left Liverpool for Bayern Munich.

“Nico Williams’ agent came to us offering the possibility of signing him,” he told Marca. “Deco told me that we had to listen to the proposal from Nico Williams’ agent. My priority, in principle, was Luis Díaz or Rashford. In these cases, I always trust the sporting directors, who told me that we had to listen to what he was proposing.

“There was a big difference between what we were told and what actually happened in terms of payment terms, the agent’s commission… a whole series of variables that indicated the deal wouldn’t happen.”

Williams went on to sign a new 10-year deal with the Basque club with his brother now insisting that Barca’s comments are way off the mark.

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