The night of Thursday, 3 July, was especially eventful in Bilbao. With complete discretion, Athletic Club and Nico Williams’ representatives prepared one of the biggest bombshells of the summer,

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

The mural was defaced after Barca sporting director Deco said they could target the winger, who scored in last year’s European Championship final against England to guide Spain to a record fourth title. Williams’ new release clause is likely to put off Arsenal for now, but the Gunners do remain keen to sign a new wide forward.