Nico Williams domino: €50m Barcelona star and record signing sacrificed

Tom Weber

Updated: 20 Jul 2024 11:55 BST
4 min read

Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, Barcelona — © IMAGO

Barcelona have lowered their asking price for Raphinha, who is to be sacrificed to fund a move for Nico Williams, according to Spanish media.

Article continues under the video

The transfer saga surrounding Spain superstar Williams continues. A standout performer for his country at Euro 2024 and over the course of last season for Athletic Club, the 22-year-old is one of Europe's most in-demand players.

Fitted with a €58 million release clause, the winger is viewed as a relatively cheap option in terms of value, but Premier League clubs have thus far baulked at his wage demands and other expenses that would make the deal potentially exorbitantly expensive.

This has led to cash-strapped Barcelona pouncing on the opportunity. An initial meeting with the player's agent has already taken place and LaLiga president Javier Tebas has given a kind of preliminary green light to the move.

The Blaugrana are keen to swiftly agree personal terms with Williams before the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea change their mind about pursuing him and some reports suggest that the Catalans have already succeeded with this. Be that as it may, the LaLiga giants still face the potential problem of having to sell before they can buy.

Raphinha to Villa in Diaby domino?

It is unlikely that Barcelona will be able to pay Williams' release clause and wages without at least one major sale and, according to Sport, Raphinha has been earmarked as the player who is to be sacrificed.

Previously, Barca had demanded as much as €100m for the Brazilian, but it is claimed that they are now willing to listen to offers in the region of €50m, which seems a much more realistic price for a player who has at times flattered to deceive.

A few days ago, the same outlet reported that Raphinha could be part of a transfer domino this summer, with his exit potentially depending on Al-Ittihad's move for Moussa Diaby.

The Frenchman is Aston Villa's record signing but seemingly didn't enjoy the trust of Unai Emery in his first season at Villa Park. Now, he could already be on the way out with an agreement having reportedly been reached for a fee north of €55m.

This would make him Aston Villa's second-most-expensive sale after Jack Grealish and, crucially, open up room for another winger. It has been claimed that they could pursue Raphinha following the sale of Diaby, while FootballTransfers understands that they have also enquired about Tottenham attacker Dejan Kulusevski.