Last summer, Nico Williams of Athletic Club was a hot topic in the transfer market, drawing attention from top clubs likeChelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Following a stellar 2023-24 campaign, where he made 37 appearances and helped Athletic Club secure the Copa del Rey title, Williamsalso played a key role inSpain’s UEFA Euro 2024 triumph in Germany.
This season, the 22-year-old has contributed two goals and five assists in 22 appearances across all competitions. According to The Athletic, Williams is increasingly open tothe idea of moving abroad.
While Barcelonaare well aware of the conditions for a potential transfer, the decision ultimately lies with Williams, who reportedly has a €58 million release clause.
In the Premier League, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and Chelsea are closely monitoring him as a summer target. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain remain interested, with PSGhaving contacted his representatives during lastsummer’s window.
Does Nico Williams still want to join Barcelona?
Nico Williams
Dan Mullan/Getty Images
SPORT’s Toni Juanmartí reports despite the rumors linking the winger to various clubs, Williams would still like to join Barcelona.
🚨 Nico Williams would still like to join Barcelona.
(Source: @tjuanmarti) pic.twitter.com/Wcm210jdjU
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) December 22, 2024
Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently faced questions from club members about theteam’s current situation. One member raised concerns about potential registration issues with Dani Olmo and asked how the club would have managed to register Williams had they signed him last summer.
“We never said we would sign him, we said we could make a deal of that magnitude,”Laporta said. “And we made a slightly smaller operation with Dani Olmo, who cost about €48 million.
“The sporting management thought it was more important to sign Olmo than other players. We have temporarily registered him and hope to do so definitively. There are always doubts about registrations, but in the end, we always manage to register them.”