After being snubbed last summer, FC Barcelona are once again back on the Nico Williams trail and are in fact edging closer to his signing from Athletic Club.

As reported earlier today, the Spanish international has agreed a six-year contract with the Blaugrana on wages of around €7-8 million net.

The next step is for Barcelona to pay his €62 million release clause and clear up salary space to ensure his registration with La Liga.

Barcelona working to close the deal quickly

Now, according to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona aim to finalise Nico Williams’ transfer as soon as possible, primarily to prevent the player from returning to Athletic Club’s pre-season training sessions.

As such, the La Liga champions seek to finalise the transfer before 14 July to spare the player from unnecessary pressure.

Ernesto Valverde’s squad is scheduled to resume training on 9 July, but Nico is expected to join a few days later due to his participation in the UEFA Nations League with the Spanish national team. In Bilbao, it is expected that he will rejoin training on or around 14 July.

Meanwhile, Barcelona are set to return on 13 July for medical checks, followed by a double training session on the 14th at the Ciutat Esportiva.

Nico is certain that the best course of action is to complete his transfer as soon as possible. He does not wish to start the pre-season with Athletic Club, as it would create a tense atmosphere for everyone involved.

Barcelona, for their part, also do not support prolonging the process and intend to speed up the necessary procedures so that the winger does not have to go through the difficult situation of training with his current teammates.