Nico Williams mural defaced amid rife speculation over Barcelona move

For the second summer in a row, Nico Williams has been strongly linked with moving from Athletic Club to Barcelona. But on this occasion, there is a lot of more confidence from Catalonia that a deal can be done.

And this is because Williams has appeared much more open to signing in 2025. He turned down the chance to join Barcelona, but on this occasion, he has already agreed personal terms with the La Liga champions. But this desire to make the move has not gone down well among some of his current supporters in Bilbao.

As reported by Radio Nervion, a mural containing Inaki Williams, Nico Williams and Iker Muniain has been defaced on Sunday morning, with the Barcelona target’s face having been removed. And in its place is a message targeted at the 22-year-old: “whether you leave or stay, you have lost respect.”

It is clear that many Athletic supporters are unhappy with the Williams case, and some of that anger is towards the player itself. The defacing of the mural has split opinion, but one person that has been left far from impressed with the actions of those involved is Inaki Williams, who has taken the social media to send a message of his own to the perpetrator.

“Behind an anonymous lack of respect, there is always someone too small to show their face.”

It has been well-documented that Barcelona and Athletic do not have a great relationship, which was made worse by the situation involving Williams last summer. There would undoubtedly be a lot of unhappiness if the Spain international made the move to the Spotify Camp Nou this summer, and at this stage, it appears that a deal is likely to be done.