A year after Nico had rejected Barca and signed a new deal with Athletic, history repeated as the Spain international again held talks with the Catalans before turning down the move and agreeing a new contract at San Mames.
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Sport says a key reason for Nico's decision was a Whatsapp message from Barca where it was put to the player that he should drop his agent.
It's claimed Barca urged Nico to dump Felix Tainta and instead sign with Jorge Mendes or Pini Zahavi, who are both close to the Blaugrana.
The suggestion outraged the Williams family, who are close to Tainta and who also takes care of Nico's older brother Inaki. The message was enough for Nico to pull out of talks and re-commit to Athletic.