The pursuit of Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams by big European clubs has intensified significantly. Barcelona is one of them, and if Barca happens to land him, the world will see Lamin Yamal and Williams, the two Spanish wonder kids, team up in Barca.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barca’s sporting director, Deco, has held discussions with Nico Williams’ agent, Felix Tainta on Friday, during which it was conveyed that Williams is eager to join the Catalan club.
Arsenal and Chelsea have both expressed a sustained interest in Williams also and have contemplated making an offer for the Spain international during this summer. However, Bayern Munich is also pursuing a new winger, and the Bundesliga champions have recently made an approach for Williams.
Although Barcelona has held discussions with Williams, it is reported that Williams may be interested in joining Bayern though his salary request of €380,000 per week might present a challenge. Any team interested would need to meet the €58 million release clause in his contract with Bilbao.
Barcelona’s preferred choice to enhance Hansi Flick’s attacking options is Luis Diaz, but they have set a limit of €60m (£51m) for the Liverpool winger. This amount would be a notable gain for Liverpool, who acquired Diaz for an initial fee of £37m from Porto in January 2022.
Barcelona have also discussed the possibility of signing Marcus Rashford after meeting with his brother and agent last month. Manchester United are looking to sell Rashford this summer and are asking for a £40m fee. Barcelona, however, would prefer to sign the 27-year-old on loan with an option to purchase next year.
