Over the previous couple of days, rumours have been ripe that Barcelona are seriously thinking of going after Nico Williams and now the club president has finally given it his seal of approval.
The winger has a €58 million release clause which many people felt is out of Barcelona’s reach but Joan Laporta has made it clear that the club has the finances to make this deal happen.
He has told Catalunya Radio[as quoted]: “Obviously I like him, a lot. But here we have to let those who have the responsibility work, and Deco is working to make the signings that he and Flick have discussed, and I hope to have good news,
“Today we can afford to sign Nico Williams. We can afford a signing like Nico’s. It is the result of the work that has been done over the years to get to this point, we could afford a signing of this level.”
Signing Nico Williams will come at a cost for Barcelona:
There is a gaping hole out on the left wing so Nico Williams is going to be a much-needed signing but the €58 fee clubbed the winger’s high wage demands means Barca will have to sell a couple of players in order to free up their finances.
The club has gone back to the 1:1 rule which means they need to generate every money they wish to spend and in such a scenario, we have a feeling that important players like Ronald Araujo, De Jong and Raphinha could leave very soon.
These three first-team players have been constantly linked with a summer exit and if Barca are serious about signing Nico Williams along with their other targets then they will have to offload at least two of them.
Raphinha is the most obvious choice because major clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs have all been linked with him this year. Saudi clubs have also shown an interest in the winger but Raphinha has made it clear that if he has to leave Camp Nou then he will prefer a return to the Premier League next season.
His current market value is €50 million so Barcelona should be able to bag around €60-65 million. Arsenal and Liverpool have scouted Raphinha as backup options which means they are unlikely to make any sort of moves immediately but Tottenham Hotspur are seriously considering signing the former Leeds United man.
Ronald Araujo is another player who could head for the exit doors by the end of the transfer window simply cause by offloading him Barcelona will be able to bring in around €90-100 million. Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayern Munich have also shown an interest in the Uruguayan international and since the Catalans need to raise at least €100 million, selling Araujo will solve a lot of their problems.
If we think about Araujo’s preference, the South American defender will obviously want to join Bayern Munich but the Germans won’t be so willing to pay such a steep transfer fee. Chelsea and Liverpool, on the other hand, not only can match Barca’s demands but they can also afford to pay the centre-back handsome wages.
Overall, Araujo’s high transfer value will make it hard for Barca to sell him which is why getting rid of midfielder Frenkie de Jong will be a lot easier.
Manchester United still remain interested in signing the Dutch midfielder and if he is up for sale, Erik ten Hag won’t mind coughing up €60-70 million. De Jong is more than happy at Camp Nou but unlike last year, if Barca do try to offload him, the ex-Ajax man won’t resist.
Apart from Nico Williams, Barcelona wish to land a new central midfielder and a new attacking midfielder so in total they will need to bring in around €120-140 million before deadline day. And in order to do that, the Spanish giants will have to offload a couple of his high-value players and these three are currently at the top of the list. Apart from them, the names of Jules Kounde and Christensen have also been doing the rounds.
Coming back to Nico Williams, the Bilbao man will most likely prefer a move to Barcelona over the other suitors and if Laporta is confident then the club should be able to land him sooner or later.
