The Catalan club were rebuffed by Athletic Club last summer and had to compete with Bayern Munich for the winger.

After months of groundwork, verbal agreements and a public show of intent from both president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco, the 22-year-old winger chose to stay put in Bilbao. Athletic Club announced on July 4 that Williams had renewed his contract until 2035, with a release clause now worth €100m [$117m].

“Athletic Club forward Nico Williams has put pen to paper on a 10-year deal keeping him in Bilbao until 30 June 2035,” a statement read. “Nico’s new agreement has an increase in the release clause of more than 50% over the previous one.