Barcelona will open talks with €60m Arsenal target ‘shortly’

Barcelona spent much of last summer pursuing Athletic Club winger Nico Williams, before the Basque winger decided to stay in Bilbao this season. However he has been closely linked with an exit again this summer, and in particular with Arsenal, but the Blaugrana still intend to test the waters with Williams this summer.

The 22-year-old has a €60m release clause in his contract, which expires in 2027, but for many big clubs, that represents an affordable price for a quality young player. Bayern Munich and Chelsea have been linked to Williams over the course of the season too, but after it was reported in Germany that the Bavarians were dropping out of the race, Arsenal have been presented as the most likely destination should they persuade him to leave San Mames.

However Sport say he is still on the agenda at Barcelona. Williams has the approval of President Joan Laporta, who factors in his relationship with Lamine Yamal, the two being good friends from Spain duty. The key change in the make-up of the Barcelona hierarchy is Hansi Flick, but the German manager has also approved his signing should it be possible and desired, something he had not done with the likes of Rafael Leao.

Laporta believes he would perform better at Barcelona than he is currently at Athletic, and their intentions are to restart talks with his camp shortly, although they do not want to get involved in another saga. If Barcelona believe they will struggle to do the deal due to their salary limit struggles, they will communicate as much to Williams in advance, allowing him to make another decision.

It should be noted that for much of the season, Barcelona have been much more closely linked with Liverpool winger Luis Diaz. The Colombian winger could be on the move this summer, and the Reds will supposedly allow him to leave for around €70m. Director of Football Deco seemingly prefers the more experienced Diaz, but regardless, a pursuit of either winger will depend on whether Barcelona find a way of including their VIP seats deal in their accounts this season.