Arsenal given Nico Williams hope by David Ornstein

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 19 Jan 2025 08:43 GMT
• 4 min read

David Ornstein has given Arsenal hope of signing Nico Williams but says that any deal will be in the summer and not January.

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 provided an update on Arsenal's pursuit of Williams and has given the Gunners hope of actually signing him.

However, the transfer expert believes that a deal this month will be very difficult and sees the summer transfer window as a more likely moment for Williams to leave Athletic.

What did Ornstein say?

"Do Arsenal focus more on a wide player instead, like somebody who can contribute goals from the wing and with Saka out injured in particular? The player that Mikel Arteta loves is Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao," Ornstein said.

"There is a release clause just shy of €60 million (£50 million) at the moment. It fluctuates with inflation, it needs to be paid in full, so that's not easy for any suitors.

"He is on a high salary, that salary would go up if he was to move, he's going to need to want to move and I'm not aware of him agitating or looking to move in January. It is more likely in the summer if it happens."

Arsenal face competition from Barcelona for WIlliams and it has always been reported that he prefers to join the Blaugrana rather than move to the Premier League.

Barca had been desperate to sign the Athletic Bilbao winger last summer but were unable to complete a deal for financial reasons. They will face similar problems this year. Chelsea are also fans of the player.

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 three goals in 26 games.