Athletic Bilbao president Uriarte criticizes Barcelona for lack of respect

Despite Williams' commitment to Athletic, Uriarte found himself increasingly frustrated by the frequent public comments from Barcelona figures.

After Saturday's defeat at Barca, Uriarte said: "We are calm. It is natural that our players arouse interest in the market. It's normal for Nico's case to be in the eye of the hurricane, but there are things we didn't like, such as a lack of respect or assumptions that shouldn't happen.

"But it must be done with respect.

"I liked (Hansi) Flick's words when he said that he would not talk about Nico because he is a player who belongs to another club."