Arsenal terms to sign Nico Williams revealed by David Ornstein

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 12 Jan 2025 10:08 GMT
• 4 min read

David Ornstein has revealed the terms that Arsenal must meet in order to sign Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao.

Arsenal have made Williams one of their main targets this year, with manager Mikel Arteta a long-term fan of the winger.

Indeed, FootballTransfers' Steve Kay reported this month that the Gunners are in ongoing discussions with the player’s agent and are prepared to act swiftly - as early as this month - to secure the signature of the Spain star, who has a release clause of €58 million in his contract with the Bilbao side.

Ornstein has given an update on Arsenal's pursuit of Williams and confirms the desire to sign him but adds that there is one big obstacle in activating what on paper appears to be a relatively low release clause.

What did Ornstein say?

"Mikel Arteta loves Nico Williams," Ornstein said on The Athletic podcast.

"It's a long-term admiration. He would have loved to sign him in the past, and he would like to sign him in the January transfer window.

"However, there is a good chance that he can't have Williams because of the finances involved.

"The release clause has to be paid in one go which is horrendous for any club who wants him. He also earns a very good salary in Bilbao which would need to rise if he's going to move to the Premier League."

Arsenal are also aware that Williams has always been reported to prefer to join Barcelona rather than move to the Premier League.

The Blaugrana had been desperate to sign the Athletic Bilbao winger this past summer but were unable to complete a deal for financial reasons.

Arsenal and Chelsea have also been trying to sign Williams over the past several months, and the three teams are all in the race for the 22-year-old winger in 2025.

READ MORE: Premier League top scorers 2024/25

Williams at Euro 2024

Williams was one of the stars of Euro 2024 with electric performances as Spain won the trophy.

He scored in the 2-1 final win over England and was one of the players of the tournament.

His best performance was arguably against Italy where he tore apart the right-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo and set up the winner - an own goal by Riccardo Calafiori.

He also scored a fantastic goal in the win over Georgia in the last-16.

The 22-year-old Williams is considered one of the most exciting young wingers in all of Europe.

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 22 goals in 145 games.

He has also scored four goals in 24 games for Spain, and travelled to the 2022 World Cup.

This season he has been a little less productive, with two goals in 23 games.