LaLiga president Javier Tebas said on Thursday that "Barça is close to being able to sign Nico Williams," the Athletic Club player, as long as the club reaches the 1:1 rule.

"Remember, the 1:1 scenario has to be met—a rule stating that for every euro the club saves in salary expenses, they can spend that amount on new signings. Today, they don't have it, but they are closer than ever. If they achieve it, they can sign Nico Williams or another player of that caliber," Tebas emphasized in an interview with the Barcelona newspaper 'Sport'.

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The LaLiga chief recalled "the effort" made by Barcelona, which has reduced "their salary expenses by over 200 million" and with the application of the financial levers, "they can definitely add a player like Nico Williams."

"I believe he has an 85 million release clause: when you buy for 85 million, the amortization is divided by the years of the contract; if you sign him for five years, it would be less than 20 million per year, plus the player's salary. Barça can handle those amounts, perfectly manageable if they meet the 1:1 rule. It's a club nearing 1 billion in revenue, so they can achieve that," Tebas insisted.

Tebas reminded that he was "heavily criticized from Barcelona" when he previously said that the Catalan club "would have a hard time" reaching this situation to be able to sign players.

"Now I'm saying that this is the closest they've been to achieving the 1:1 rule. With their salary reduction and club structure adjustment, and with a few more moves, the chances of reaching that 1:1 and therefore having more freedom to act are much higher," he explained.

When asked how important it is for LaLiga that Barça can sign players, Tebas emphasized that the priority is always "the economic sustainability of the clubs."

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"We've lived through many years where it seemed like the priority was to have many star players, and that caused economic problems (...) We need to have a more global view of everything happening in Spanish football," he added.

In any case, Tebas believes that the economic gap between Real Madrid and Barcelona is getting smaller: "Barcelona is adjusting its revenue structure and therefore getting closer. We'll see if they succeed. It would be good for Barcelona and for LaLiga."