According to reports, Arsenal could miss out on Athletic Bilbao standout Nico Williams as he has expressed his desire to join another club this summer.
Williams is one of the most exciting wingers in Europe and he’s been on the radar of several elite clubs over the past couple of years.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2023/24 as he shone for Athletic Bilbao and sparkled at last summer’s European Championships as Spain won the tournament.
His performances for club and country in 2023/24 were expected to lead to an exit during the 2024 summer window, but he eventually decided to remain at Athletic Bilbao for a further year.
Williams’ great form continued this season as he grabbed eleven goals and seven assists for Athletico Bilbao in all competitions, sohe is one of the best wingers available on the market this summer.
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Arsenal have been mooted as a likely destination for Williams in recent months as they are expected to sign a new winger during this summer’s window.
Earlier this month,a report claimed Arsenal were ‘very close’ to signing Williams, who has a £49m release clause in his contract.
However, it has been suggested in recent days that they face being hijacked by Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, who have made Williams a leading target following the exit of former Man City star Leroy Sane.
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Now, a report from Sky Germany claims Bayern Munich are ‘actively working on a deal’ to land Williams after holding their ‘first meeting’ with his representatives.
Williams is said to have opened the door to a move to the Bundesliga giants as he has ‘told’ club chiefs that he is ‘very open to a move to Munich’ this summer.
There are obstacles for Bayern Munich to overcome, though. As well as his clause, Williams is said to have set his ‘salary demands’ at 20 million euros. It is also noted that there is ‘no agreement yet’ as the deal is only ‘at an early stage’.
This could see Arsenal turning their attention to alternatives and Fabrizio Romano claims Real Madrid star Rodrygo is their “dream” target.
He said: “On Rodrygo Goes, what I can tell you is that he posted ‘Happy’ [on his social media], and there’s one more message from Rodrygo, because Rodrygo never asked Real Madrid to leave the club these weeks or these days.
“So there is interest from Arsenal. He’s a dream target for Arsenal, but it’s not even a negotiation at this point, because the only way to make it happen as a negotiation is for Rodrygo to tell Real Madrid, okay, I want to leave the club. And Rodrygo hasn’t done that so far.
“So Rodrygo’s intention remains to do his best for Xabi Alonso, to work at his best level and to see a message with ‘Happy’ is quite an important development in this Rodrygo story.”