A mural honouring Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams in the Lutxana district of Barakaldo was defaced again in the early hours of 28 June, only hours after the club paid for its restoration. Vandals covered the player’s face with blue paint and scrawled the insult “Rata de mierda”. The same artwork had been attacked on 21 June, prompting Athletic to spend about €900 on materials and enlist artist Carlos López for a 10-hour repair that proved short-lived. The repeated vandalism highlights mounting anger among a section of Athletic supporters over the 22-year-old’s possible transfer to FC Barcelona. Williams’s contract includes a buy-out clause of roughly €60 million, and Catalan media have reported advanced talks with the Spanish champions. Athletic issued a statement calling the attacks “unacceptable” and insisting the Spain international remains “one of our own”. Speaking on 29 July as he was confirmed as Athletic’s first Black captain, Williams’s elder brother Iñaki said the family had endured a broken car windshield and what he described as a “media campaign” orchestrated by Barcelona to unsettle the winger. He added that the incident had strengthened the player’s resolve to stay in Bilbao. According to local reports, Nico Williams has now extended his deal at San Mamés until 2035, ending the immediate transfer saga.