- 22 hours ago
Arsenal reignite Nico Williams deal as Arteta confirms transfer plan
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 24 Jul 2024 11:50 BST
- 3 min read
Arsenal are prepared to battle Barcelona for the signing of Athletic Club winger Nico Williams, according to a report.
FootballTransfers exclusively broke news of Arsenal’s intent on signing the 22-year-old attacker, who starred for Spain as they won Euro 2024, back in May.
Nico Williams, though, reportedly wants to remain in Spain, where there is strong interest from Barcelona. Indeed, it is expected that a deal will be done with the Camp Nou side should they raise a figure close to €60 million that it will take to trigger his release clause with Athletic.
READ MORE: Latest Arsenal transfer news
Current ETV
Nico Williams
M (L)
Athletic
Nico Williams
M (L)
Athletic
ETV Range
€34.2M - €57M
Barca’s pursuit of the player has angered the Basque outfit, yet they will be powerless to stop a deal if the Blaugrana can find that figure.
Arsenal, though, continue to hold out hope they can land Williams, according to The Evening Standard.
Manager Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, has confirmed the Gunners will be active in the transfer market this summer and has spoken of areas of the team that need to be “upgraded”.
READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024: All the Done Deals
“We know there are certain positions that we want to improve and give the squad better resources, especially in terms of numbers where we are very short,” Arteta told the media in Los Angeles after Arsenal arrived for their US tour.
“We will try our best but the main thing is to focus on falling in love with the players we have and make them better.”
A bargain at €58m?
Nico Williams represents a particularly exciting possibility in the transfer market, with his release fee of €58m apparently a bargain price.
The winger has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €45.6m, yet this is set to rise after his stellar performance at Euro 2024.
Last season, he scored eight goals and created 16 more across LaLiga and the Copa del Rey as Athletic famously won the latter competition.
