Man Utd NEED to join race for €50m star who'll become better than Rashford

Tom Weber

• Updated: 11 Mar 2024 20:40 GMT
• 4 min read

Manchester United would be well advised to enter the race to sign Nico Williams.

The Athletic Club star is one of Europe's most in-demand wingers, and not just due to his performances. The scintillating Spain international will have a €50 million release clause in the summer, making him a cheaper alternative to some of the big-name stars who could be on the move in the upcoming window.

Having notched an impressive six goals and 12 assists so far this term, Williams has been on the radar of elite clubs for some time. The ambitious youngster wants to play European football next season and while he could very well do that at Athletic Club, who are currently fifth in LaLiga, the expectation is that he will depart.

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The likes of Arsenal and Chelsea have been heavily linked, while Tottenham and Bayern have also joined the race. Strangely, Man Utd, despite some tentative links from time to time, are not one of the clubs frequently associated with him. That needs to change.

A better Rashford?

As of right now, adding a left-winger is not part of Man Utd's summer plans, which is understandable given that Marcus Rashford is around. However, the England star, who is having a very disappointing season, continues to be the subject of speculation, with PSG eyeing him for their post-Kylian Mbappe rebuild.

Alejandro Garnacho's stunning recent form has shown that Rashford is expendable and there is a solid argument to be made that he needs to depart Old Trafford to get his career back on track. According to data experts SciSports, Williams could become an upgrade on the 26-year-old.

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Though the 21-year-old is not as good as Rashford was at his age, Williams has the potential to become a significantly better player in his mid-20s. Even more interesting for United is the fact that SciSports believe that the Red Devils would be a solid next club for the Spaniard.

As per SciSports' Career Advice tool, Man Utd are Williams' joint-best-suited English club along with Aston Villa, with a decent but not particularly impressive Club Fit rating of 72. Unsurprisingly, game time would be an issue because Rashford is still there. Were he to depart, the rating would likely explode.