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Athletic Bilbao are ready to make Nico Williams the highest paid player on the team amid interest from Barcelona, according to MARCA. The Spanish forward has generated quite some attention across Europe following a string of impressive performances for club and country.
Williams was a key ingredient in Spain's Euro 2024 triumph. The 22-year-old was also in fine form for the Basque club in the 2024/25 campaign, registering 11 goals and seven assists from 45 games across competitions.
His efforts have already earned him admirers at Barcelona, while Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Arsenal are also hot on his heels. Recent reports, however, have suggested that the LaLiga champions have taken the lead in the race following a recent meeting with the player's agent.
The Catalans are looking for a new left-forward this summer and have had their eyes on Williams for a while. The player, meanwhile, enjoys a close friendship with the likes of Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde, and wants to join Barcelona as well.
Williams is under contract with Athletic Bilbao until 2027 and apparently has a €58m release clause in his deal. The Basque club, meanwhile, are ready to tie him down to a new contract with a higher release clause and a significant pay hike.
Interestingly, the Spaniard currently earns €200,385 per week at the San Mames, according to Capology. Athletic Bilbao want to sort out the player's future at the earliest, instead of dragging it for ages.
Are Barcelona eyeing a move for Vanderson this summer?
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Vanderson.
Barcelona have retained their interest in AS Monaco right-back Vanderson, according to UOL via SPORT. The Catalans are looking to add an able cover for Jules Kounde in the squad before the start of the new campaign.
The Frenchman was one of the stars of the campaign under Hansi Flick, but is originally a center back. Meanwhile, the LaLiga giants have very little backup for the 26-year-old, with Hector Fort failing to impress.
Barcelona are looking to address the situation this summer, and have turned to Vanderson. The Brazilian is coming off an impressive campaign with Monaco, registering two goals and five assists from 41 games across competitions.
The Ligue 1 giants apparently want €35m for Vanderson, who is also being courted by Tottenham Hotspur. Interestingly, the 23-year-old's price tag could be a dealbreaker for the Catalans, as reinforcing the right-back position is not a priority for the club this summer.
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Deepungsu Pandit
Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 20 million reads.
Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.
Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.
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