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].

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

“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.