After publicly distancing themselves from the Spanish forward earlier this summer, Barcelona performed a swift U-turn. The Catalan giants appear to have agreed personal terms with Williams—reportedly persuading him to accept a salary offer which other clubs comfortably exceeded—but negotiations with Athletic have stalled.

Barcelona have already completed their first signing of the summer in mid-June, bringing in Joan Garcia from bitter rivals Espanyol to the tune of €25m. Meanwhile they have shown complete

The 22-year-old is edging towards a long-heralded move to Barcelona. Many good friends are waiting for him there