The failure of Barcelona's attempt to sign Nico reflects the chronic problem of financial and registration disconnection. | La Liga | Real Madrid's history | Barcelona team | Athletic Bilbao club

On July 9th Beijing time, the "Daily Sports Newspaper" published an article analyzing the recent transfer scandal involving Nico Williams. It stated: The failure of Barcelona in the Nico transfer exposed the long-standing problem of the club's financial management being disconnected from the player registration process. 

The 22-year-old Nico Williams possesses excellent technical skills and great potential. His 62 million euro release clause, the harmonious relationship with Yarimar, and the commercial value he brings have led Barcelona to reevaluate the possibility of signing him. The club and the player's representatives once reached an agreement on the terms of the transfer. 

However, at the final stage, Nico's agent demanded that Barcelona provide a clear written guarantee confirming that the player would be able to complete registration before the first round of La Liga. In response, Barcelona failed to make a commitment. Given the unresolved financial issues, the club could not take the risk of signing the player. 

Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao has taken a firm stance and is even preparing to submit this matter to the La Liga for review. The president of La Liga, Tevez, also publicly stated that Barcelona's financial situation at that time did not allow them to complete the registration of Nico. What's worse, UEFA has just imposed a fine of 60 million euros on Barcelona for violating the Financial Fair Play regulations in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. 

Looking back at the entire incident, the positions of all three parties are clearly evident: the player intends to join, Barcelona is willing to sign, but the financial and registration mechanisms have become an insurmountable obstacle. Although the external manifestation of this matter may be regarded by the public as "embarrassing" or "a failure", what truly deserves attention is the structural chronic problem that Barcelona has been unable to fundamentally solve for many years - the disconnection between finance and registration. 

In normal clubs, signing a player and registering them for the game should be a seamless process. However, at Barcelona, these two steps have long been separated. The problem is not just the superficial "wanting to buy but unable to afford it", but the deep-seated failure of the operational mechanism: years of accumulated financial deficits, the tug-of-war over financial leverage, exceeding salary totals, and the absence of long-term planning have made this top club unable to return to the right track. 

In other words, the real issue is not whether the deal was made, but when the club will be able to demonstrate its "corrective ability" - this is the fundamental problem that Barcelona needs to address right now.