Nico Williams has been the subject of plenty of speculation this summer, with Arsenal clearly interested in him and Barcelona pushing the hardest to convince him to leave Athletic Club.
Yet the reality appears to be that Barcelona can’t afford the deal this summer. Perhaps with that in mind, it seems Williams is now set to stay with his current club.
Williams was away on holiday over the last few weeks following Euro 2024, having scored in the final for Spain on July 14th.
Three weeks later, he returned to training with Athletic Club on Tuesday morning, speaking to the club’s social media pages and hinting he’s planning to spend the campaign with them.
“Excited to get started,” Williams said. “I’m back, looking forward to this season. Let’s go, Athletic!”
https://www.twitter.com/AthleticClub/status/1820734672734744972
James McNicholas previously reported for The Athletic that Williams remains Arsenal’s preferred candidate if they decide to sign a wide player this summer, but there have always been complications.
For a start, the €58m (£49m) release clause in Williams’ contract would need to be paid upfront, a significant expense to pay all in one go. Then there’s the interest from other clubs, primarily Barcelona.
22-year-old Williams scored eight goals and provided 19 assists in 37 appearances for Athletic Club in 2023/24, before scoring two goals and assisting one in six appearances for Spain’s Euro 2024-winning team.
He’s clearly a top prospect, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be on the move this summer.