Barcelona have long been linked with winger Nico Williams but as we near the end of the transfer window, Premier League side Arsenal could try and sign the winger in a late move, according to a report in The Independent.
Nico Williams had a wonderful campaign with Athletic Bilbao and then followed it up with a superb EURO with Spain. He has a €58 million release clause with Bilbao and Barca are trying really hard to bring him on board.
Williams has been the primary summer target for Deco and Laporta, but due to their poor financial conditions, the Catalans have yet to make any major progress. Some experts believe, Barca are still trying to make this transfer happen but if Arsenal’s interest is serious then the La Liga giants could be in for a rude awakening.
Are Barca still focused on Nico Williams?
At the start of the summer, Laporta was confident that he would be able to sign Nico Williams but as the weeks have gone by, it has become clear that the club does not have the money to trigger his release clause.
So far, Dani Olmo has been the only summer signing for Barcelona. Even though they urgently need a left-winger, the Catalans are not likely to sign the Bilbao winger.
Deco has already started looking at alternatives, and over the past week, the club has been linked with numerous left-wingers like Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Kingsley Coman. They have also been linked with Juventus’ Federico Chiesa and as per Di Marzio, Barcelona have reached a verbal agreement with the winger.
Chiesa is very much within Barcelona’s budget, plus he is not going to demand a major salary package. This is why we think Barcelona are not going to go back for Nico Williams.
Will Arsenal make a move for the Spanish winger?
With Barcelona seemingly out of the race, Arsenal appear to be the favourites to sign Nico Williams, but it’s doubtful that the Gunners are serious either.
The 22-year-old is a natural left winger, but Mikel Arteta already has Gabriel Martinelli and Trossard in that position. It makes no sense for the Gunners to spend money on a third left-winger.
Instead, Arsenal’s focus should be on signing a new centre-forward because Gabriel Jesus has been really underwhelming and it’s Kai Havertz who is doing all the scoring up top.
Fabrizio Romano has also made it clear that even though Arsenal are keeping tabs on Nico Williams, they have yet to make any formal approach.
“What I’m hearing as of tonight is there’s nothing concrete,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.
“The expectation of those close to Nico Williams and Athletic Bilbao is for him to continue there. Arsenal appreciate Nico Williams but all top clubs in Europe do. Mikel Arteta is a big fan of him but as of tonight, there are no active negotiations.”
