David Ornstein of The Athletic has broken down what is going on between Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, Bayern Munich, and FC Barcelona.
X account @iMiaSanMia detailed Ornstein’s report, which has the Catalans as the clear leader in the race, while also providing a pathway for the Bavarians to still end up with the 22-year-old.
As of now, though, it is clear — the two finalists for Williams at the moment are FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich:
Despite Premier League sides being among his admirers, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are emerging as more plausible destinations if Nico Williams leaves Athletic Club. Arsenal and Chelsea have somewhat cooled their pursuit, and that increases the chances of others in the frame stepping up their interest.
Barcelona are pushing hard and carry an appeal to Williams, especially given his close bond with their Lamine Yamal, plus Liverpool’s reluctance to do business for Luis Díaz — initially their preferred candidate. Barcelona already have Raphinha in this position and it is also complicated for them to register new squad members due to their financial health; however, they are trying to make it happen.
FC Barcelona’s financial difficulties do not necessarily mean that the club cannot afford Williams (though, there is some doubt about how much financing would be needed), but “clearing enough room” could be an issue. To avoid having the same registration issues it faced last summer with Danio Olmo, Barca might have to sell multiple players (per The Athletic via @iMiaSanMia).
Nico Williams wouldn’t be an easy deal from a financial perspective for Barcelona. They would need to arrange multiple departures from the current squad before being able to register a new player of Williams’ caliber.
Per Ornstein, Bayern Munich has already made an offer and could up its proposal shortly:
Bayern are believed to have conveyed an offer to the player, and a second may follow, as the German champions weigh up multiple options to strengthen in the wide attacking areas. Florian Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen was their top target, but he has opted for Liverpool, while it is probable that Bradley Barcola — another liked by Bayern — will remain at Paris Saint-Germain. Milan’s Rafael Leão and Kaoru Mitoma from Brighton & Hove Albion have also been linked
If Bayern advance their pursuit and get nearer the kind of numbers Williams might expect, he would be open to talking with their head coach Vincent Kompany regarding a possible transfer.
Although a concrete direction of travel is yet to emerge, dialogue continues between all parties — so this situation is absolutely one to watch.
What should fans take out of this? Mostly that Bayern Munich’s pursuit of Williams is not completely dead just yet, but Bayern Munich’s offer will have to improve enough to offset the player’s desire to move to Camp Nou.
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