Bayern Munich may have received a massive boost in the race to sign Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams.
The 22-year-old has already informed Bilbao that he wants to join Barcelona. The Catalan giants have already reached verbal agreement with Williams over personal terms.
Arsenal are also in the race to sign Williams. The Gunners have identified him as an ideal addition to the left flank, as Mikel Arteta wants to bolster the attacking areas.
Nico Williams – late twist in the race?
Nico Williams in action against France
(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Williams has a £50m release clause written into his deal, and matching that will not be a big problem for Arsenal.
The problem is that the player probably does not want to move to the Premier League, although he would have been a dream signing for the Gunners.
He is definitely a dream signing for Bayern.
Christian Falk previously told CFBayern that while the winger prefers a move to Barcelona, doubts remain about whether they have the financial power to pull off the deal.
The Bild journalist also added that the next two weeks are absolutely vital in the transfer race, as Bayern (or possibly Arsenal) could make a move if Barcelona fail to register him.
Now, the latest news from Spain should excite both Bayern and Arsenal fan bases.
According to Cadena SER, Bilbao will try to block the transfer because they believe that Barcelona are still not operating within the 1:1 rule.
Despite Joan Laporta’s recent claims that Barcelona are back at 1:1, La Liga president Javier Tebas has a different opinion. He thinks that is definitely not the case.
The report states that Bilbao will do whatever it takes to block the transfer to Barcelona and the club president will try to get in touch with the authorities to block the move.
In that case, Bayern and Arsenal could receive a massive boost.
Bayern Munich must stay alert
At the moment, it appears that Barcelona will secure the signing, but if Bilbao makes it harder for them, Bayern must act quickly.
Signing Williams is Bayern’s top priority, and the player was previously open to a move to the German champions.
Bayern have been linked with Rafael Leao and Cody Gakpo, but Williams will be a stellar signing for them. He has the potential to become a world-class player in the future, and it will be a big transfer blow for Bayern if they miss out on him without a proper fight.
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