Nico Williams of Athletic Club runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Lukas Cerv of FC Viktoria Plzen. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Arsenal have long coveted Athletic Club’s Nico Williams, however, thanks to an important detail in one Man City ace’s contract, the Gunners are set to lose out on the lightning-quick wide man.
Although it seems Arsenal will beat Chelsea to the signing of a player dubbed the “new Marcelo,” Nico Williams remains the priority signing.
The 22-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise for both club and country and it’s no real surprise that some of the best teams in Europe want to sign him.
Barcelona look favourites for Nico Williams signature
Barcelona players wanted Williams to join them last summer (ESPN), but in the end a move didn’t come to fruition.
Now, thanks to another Nico, wearing the Blaugrana shirt could become a distinct possibility.
The official Man City website announced the signing of Nico Gonzalez from Porto on deadline day, a move that BBC Sport say cost them €60m.
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Back in 2023, when Gonzalez joined Porto, The Athletic (subscription required) noted that Barcelona, his original employers, inserted a 40% sell on clause into any deal.
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That means the Catalan giants are effectively due a windfall of €24m from the deal, almost half of the money they would require to land Nico Williams, who has a buyout clause of €58m (Daily Cannon).
It almost certainly puts Barcelona in the box seat for negotiations in the summer, not to mention the likes of Spanish national team-mates, Gavi, Pedri, Pau Cubarsi, Lamine Yamal, Alejandro Balde and Dani Olmo will surely be a key factor.
One can assume that any decision will now solely be down to the players own preference as to exactly where he does end up before the start of the 25/26 campaign.
