Nico Williams to stay in Spain for Athletic's friendly in Stuttgart

Nico Williams joined Athletic's pre-season squad later than the non-internationals after enjoying his holidays. He was one of the main stars of the Spanish national team's European Championship success and, in recent weeks, has been heavily linked with a potential move to Barcelona.
On Friday Ernesto Valverde announced the squad list that will travel to Germany to face Stuttgart in a friendly but the Spanish star will not be available. He has barely had time to acclimatise his fitness for the La Liga opener against Getafe on Thursday 15 August.
That will be the first time he can be seen in red and white again after dazzling the world in a La Roja shirt. In the meantime, the Spanish coach is taking 23 men to Germany.