Barcelona are planning to advance in talks to sign Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao with the Spanish side having made the winger their ‘top target’ for the summer.
Williams enhanced his reputation with a brilliant campaign as Spain won Euro 2024, with the 21-year-old scoring the opening goal of the 2-1 final win over England on Sunday.
Barcelona are planning to activate the winger’s release clause at Athletic Bilbao, after head coach Hansi Flick approved the club’s pursuit of Williams as their top target.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Barcelona are planning to accelerate developments following the conclusion of Spain’s victorious campaign at the European Championship, with the structure of the player’s salary a key factor in agreeing a deal.
Barcelona are keen to press ahead with the proposed transfer, aware of rival interest from the Premier League. Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have all been linked with Williams whose release clause is understood to be in the region of £46m.
Williams scored eight goals and provided 19 assists in all competitions at club level in 2023-24 and ranked second in La Liga for successful take-ons.