The Athletic Club winger Nico Williams is the top priority of FC Barcelona for the current summer transfer window. Previously, the Catalans were looking to sign a midfield pivot before focusing on other operations, but with his performances in the UEFA EURO 2024, the Spaniard has forced the Blaugranes to treat him as their first priority.
The younger of the Williams brothers is now increasingly looking like the candidate to strengthen Barcelona’s left wing for the next season, as the Catalans also had some other options like Dani Olmo and Luis Diaz in their sights.
In fact, the Blaugrana club has already made significant progress for Nico’s signing, as SPORT reports that Barcelona have already reached an agreement in principle with the winger regarding the personal terms for a potential transfer.
This agreement was reached in a meeting between the club and Nico’s agent, Felix Tainta. The years of the player’s new contract are not yet known, but all Barcelona now have to do is to finalize the transfer with Athletic Club.
Thus, as the Basque club has already made it clear that they will not be negotiating for Nico’s transfer with any side, the Catalans will have to first pay his release clause. After that, they will have to ensure his registration with Barcelona for the next season, for which they will have to make a significant space in their wage bill.
As Laporta recently commented, the Blaugranes are quite confident that they will return to the 1:1 rule in a matter of days. This will allow them to ensure Nico’s registration for the 2024-25 season.
However, they cannot get complacent at this point as Nico, although he prefers Barcelona, is not going to wait for them forever. He wants the operation to be closed by the first week of August, as it would become extremely complicated for him to join another club after that time if Barcelona are unable to get in a position to sign him.