Manchester City midfielder Rodri says he would love his club to sign Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao.
The pair are international teammates and, when he spoke with Bilbao’s head coach Luis de la Fuente and Williams at an award ceremony earlier this week, AS (via Sport Witness) reported that he said:
“Right now, I would take him [Williams] to [Manchester] City, without a doubt, so that he feels the cold of Manchester, well it’s similar to Bilbao.”
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Rodri may have been joking, somewhat, going by his comments about the weather in England, but there is a good chance that Williams will be moving clubs in the near future.
The existence of a release clause makes Williams an attractive target
Writing for The Athletic, respected journalist David Ornstein claimed it is “probable” that the 22-year-old will secure a transfer at some point in 2025.
Williams has a buyout clause in his contract that means he can leave Athletic for around £55m, which is a pretty low figure for a player of his calibre.
City are not currently among the player’s suitors
It is believed that Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Bayern Munich are the five clubs likeliest to make an offer for Williams, either in January or at the end of the season.
City’s name is conspicuously absent from the clubs who are said to be interested in the winger which is pretty surprising. He is exactly the type of player that manager Pep Guardiola likes and there could soon be space for him on the left flank.
Jack Grealish continues to struggle for form and fitness and, if he does leave the Etihad in a future transfer window, there would be room for Williams to compete with Jeremy Doku for a place in the starting lineup.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here