Nico Williams Arsenal Interest: Arsenal reignite Nico Williams chase after Morgan Rogers blow
Nico Williams Arsenal Interest: Here we go again. Arsenal can’t seem to leave this one alone. And after the way the Morgan Rogers saga collapsed right in front of them, you can completely see why Mikel Arteta is back on the phone. According to reports from TEAMtalk, the Gunners have made fresh contact regarding Athletic Club winger Nico Williams. The Spaniard’s name is right back at the top of Arsenal’s summer recruitment list. There is a problem, though- a massive one.
Williams has a €90 million release clause in his Athletic Club contract. That works out at roughly £77 million. Arsenal executives are currently running the numbers to see if they can simply trigger the buyout and bypass negotiations altogether. They aren’t alone. Far from it.
The Chelsea sting and a crowded race
Liverpool are watching closely. Barcelona have made their interest crystal clear too. But Arsenal’s need feels far more desperate right now. That’s entirely down to Chelsea. Morgan Rogers was Arteta’s prime target for the left flank all summer. Arsenal were even willing to stretch well past their original £80 million valuation for the 23-year-old. It didn’t matter. Chelsea came in, flexed their financial muscles, and blew every other bidder out of the water with a staggering £117 million package. Two years of persistent scouting paid off for the Blues. Arsenal were left empty-handed. So, Williams becomes the priority.
His recent domestic numbers, to be fair, don’t instantly scream superstar. Six goals and four assists across 25 La Liga appearances last season isn’t the kind of return that usually justifies a £77 million outlay. He managed just 1,686 minutes for the Basque side during an interrupted campaign. Context is everything.
Just weeks ago, Williams was setting the 2026 World Cup alight. He laid on the crucial assist for Ferran Torres’ winner in the final against Argentina, handing Spain yet another major international trophy. When he’s on song, few full-backs on the planet can live with him.
Fits the profile, but time is running out
We’ve been here before with Williams. He almost moved to Barcelona back in the summer of 2024 before choosing to stay loyal to Athletic. He seems to permanently exist on the edge of a career-defining move, only for the goalposts to shift at the last second. At the Emirates, his profile makes total sense.
Arteta wants pace, directness, and an isolated threat on the left. Christos Tzolis has already arrived from Club Brugge for £34 million following Leandro Trossard’s exit to Besiktas. But Tzolis is cover. Williams is a game-changer. The club are not just focusing on the frontline either. Reports in The Sun suggest a move for Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa is also on the cards, proving the board is attempting to juggle multiple major deals simultaneously.
Read: Arsenal close to completing £34m signing after losing out on Rogers deal
They need to make a quick move on Williams. Waiting around in these situations usually ends in tears. The release clause takes the tricky negotiation phase out of the picture, even if swallowing a £77 million fee hurts the balance sheet. Losing Rogers to Chelsea was a bitter pill to swallow. Letting Williams drift toward Anfield or the Camp Nou would turn a frustrating window into a genuinely damaging one for the north London club.