Nico Williams has been linked with a move away from Athletic Bilbao, with Arsenal included among the interested parties

Nico Williams has distanced himself from his agent following claims that he turned down a transfer to Arsenal.

The winger insisted that the decision to stay at Athletic Bilbao was not made by his representatives but instead a choice he agreed upon with his a family. Williams' agent, Felix Tainta, addressed the transfer rumours that first began in summer 2024 and claimed he helped Williams "say no" to the likes of Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Liverpool.

However, the 24-year-old has since responded to these comments, shutting down the claim. He said: "My brother was clear in what he said. It's difficult when your name gets caught up in things like this. Felix was wrong in the words he used; that's not how things happened. The final decision rests with me, my brother, and my family. What happens at home is something only we know."

He did however confirm that he snubbed the Gunners' interest in him, opting to stay in Spain. Williams added: "I have never had any doubts about being here; I’ve had countless offers and could have left, but I’ve always been clear that I wanted to stay.

"My intention is to stay here; there’s no doubt about that. I told Barça, Arsenal, PSG and many others that I’m staying here. I hope people understand that. Despite the anger some people might have felt after his statements, nobody can say that I don’t want to be here. I made the decision.

"Nobody forced me. I had offers from Barca and other teams in Europe such as PSG or Arsenal, and I said no to all of them to be here. People can say whatever they want. As simple as that. I have nothing to worry about. And I hope people understand."

The winger's agent recently dubbed Williams a "Formula 1 car" and claimed he was responsible for preventing the Spain international from "becoming a problem" for another club. Tainta told the Los Fulanos podcast: "We all know about Barca’s interest in the summer of ’24, following the European Championship.

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"Barca, Arsenal, Bayern, Liverpool, PSG… I could name them all. Everyone wanted Nico, and it’s no small feat for a player to say ‘no’ to all these clubs. There were talks with Barca, and Athletic was aware of them because I kept them updated on the situation throughout, even though Athletic was angry with Barca over how they handled things.

"Nico simply cannot go without playing. Nico is like a Formula 1 car; I’m not going to bring that kind of talent into your house only to have him become a problem for you, and I made that very clear to Barca. We decided that, without certain guarantees, we couldn’t risk Nico ending up somewhere where he wouldn’t play, especially with a World Cup on the horizon."

Last summer, the 24-year-old agreed an eight-year contract extension with Athletic that keeps him rooted in La Liga until 2035. This new deal also increased his £50million release clause.