Arsenal are reportedly willing to pay the £49million release clause in Nico Williams’ contract, as they continue to pursue a move for the Athletic Club de Bilbao and Spain man.
Williams, 22, has been identified as Arsenal’s top target for the left-sided forward position, with rumours ramping up regarding a potential transfer to the Emirates Stadium.
The Spain international scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in 45 matches in all competitions for Athletic Club in 2024/25, having helped his nation win Euro 2024 last summer.
football.london understands that Gunners manager, Mikel Arteta, is a huge fan of Williams, although it’s thought that Athletic Club are also looking to extend his contract, which expires in June 2027.
That isn’t expected to distract Arsenal from attempting to snap-up Williams – with the Gunners prepared to fork out his £49m release clause to bring him to north London, according to Sport.
It’s also added that the Gunners have offered him a ‘high-priced contract’, even if that does fall short of his initial expectation for a move aboard. Bayern Munich are expected to battle Arsenal for Williams.
Barcelona, meanwhile, met with Williams on Friday regarding a potential move to the Catalan region. A matter of moments after that was reported, Lamine Yamal shared a picture of him and Williams together.
In that case, if Williams were to leave Bilbao, then he would prefer to stay in La Liga and would open the door to Barcelona – as long as they are interested in formalising the deal and triggering his release clause. Williams is close friends to several players in the Barca dressing room and would, seemingly, welcome that option.
Even if Barcelona and Williams met, Hansi Flick and key figures behinds the scenes are still anticipated to prioritise signing Luis Diaz from Liverpool, as he is the club’s top target in that position.
Speaking last week on Williams’ future, Athletic Club president Jon Uriarte has stated that he’s hoping to keep the talented forward at San Mames ahead of next season.
“I believe we have a winning and interesting project for everyone, and Nico is part of that project, just like many other players,” Uriate has told Spanish news outlet El Correo. “The project becomes easier if we keep our players, and I believe Nico and the rest of the squad have a very exciting year ahead.”
Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london’s dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!
By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.
To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!
If you’re curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.
