Barcelona is on the verge of signing Athletic Bilbao’s star winger, Nico Williams, after both parties reached a personal agreement. However, certain hurdles need to be cleared before Williams can fulfill his desire to become a part of the renowned Catalan club.
Williams, an outstanding talent on the Spanish national team, has made a significant mark with Bilbao, scoring 31 goals in 167 matches. This impressive performance has not gone unnoticed, catching the attention of major clubs like Arsenal and Bayern Munich this summer.
Despite the interest from these clubs, the 22-year-old footballer has agreed to a six-year contract with Barcelona, where he will join his good friend and national teammate, Lamine Yamal, at the Nou Camp. Williams leaned on Yamal’s support in his pursuit of joining Barcelona after a successful season in Bilbao, where he contributed significantly to the team reaching both the Champions League and Europa League semi-finals.
Earlier this summer, Barcelona had considered signing Liverpool winger Luis Diaz but was deterred by the hefty £80m asking price. Williams, by contrast, has a release clause of 62m euros (£53m) in his contract at San Mames, a figure Barcelona is willing to meet.
Deco, Barcelona’s sporting director, had a meeting with Williams and his representatives in Ibiza earlier this week, where a verbal agreement was reached. Williams is coming off the most productive goalscoring season of his career, having netted 11 goals in 41 matches across all competitions.
His notable achievements include helping Spain secure victory in the Euro 2024, where he scored the opening goal in the 2-1 final triumph against England in Berlin. With such a rich footballing resume, Barcelona fans eagerly anticipate the arrival of this young talent.
