Barcelona star drops transfer hint that will worry Man Utd

Carlo Garganese

• 24 Oct 2023 07:52 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United’s chances of signing Nico Williams in January may have taken a blow following an Instagram post by Barcelona star Alejandro Balde.

Both Man Utd and Barcelona are reported to be going head to head for the Athletic Bilbao winger heading into 2024.

But Barcelona left-back Balde appeared to suggest that the Blaugrana may be ahead of United in the race to sign the wideman.

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Balde published a photo on Instagram (see below) of Williams and himself whispering to each other behind their hands, accompanied by the caption “My little Nico Williams”.

This could just be a post declaring the affection between two friends who play together in the Spain national team.

Or could it be a sign that Williams is heading to Barcelona and not Man Utd in 2024?

Williams is currently negotiating a new contract with Athletic to renew his deal that expires at the end of the 2023-24 season.

According to multiple reports, the new contract will have a release clause of €50 million - opening up a transfer to either United or Barcelona.

The 21-year-old is considered one of the most exciting young wingers in all of Europe.

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United are looking at Williams as they face something of a crisis in the right wing position.

Mason Greenwood will never play for the club again, while Jadon Sancho’s future is also up in the air after a massive public falling out with Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag.

Antony has had his problems on and off the pitch, and has struggled badly since his €100m transfer from Ajax over a year ago.

The emergence of Nico Williams

Williams has emerged as an electric talent over the last year or so.

Blessed with lightning pace and dribbling skills, he has a promising future in the game.

After making his debut for Athletic in 2021, Williams has scored 21 goals in 121 games. He has also scored two goals in 10 games for Spain, and travelled to the 2022 World Cup.

His brother is fellow Athletic Bilbao star Inaki Williams, who plays his international football for the Ghana national team.