Until a few weeks ago, not many football fans outside those who followed La Liga would have heard about Nico Williams or seen him play. However, he has grabbed everyone’s attention with his performances for Spain in the Euros 2024.
Not many expected Nico to start ahead of Ferran Torres and Mikel Oyarzabal in Luis de la Fuente’s setup. However, the 22-year-old Athletic Club winger started six games for La Roja, scoring two goals and providing one assist, including the opener in the final against England.
The only game that Nico missed in the Euros was the third group game against Albania by which time Spain had already qualified as group winners and De La Fuente chose to completely rotate his team.
Such performances have earned him ravish praise from footballing circles and Lothar Matthaus is the latest one to jump on the bandwagon. The ex-German player has never been afraid to speak his mind in the media.
Speaking to German Media as quoted by SPORT, Hansi Flick’s close friend Matthaus has revealed that the ex-Bayern Munich boss dreams of signing Nico Williams and making him a part of the Barcelona project. Here is what he had to say about the situation:
“I hope that Barça ends up signing Nico Williams. My friend Hansi Flick dreams of it.”
Following his performances, Nico’s transfer valuation are in the nine figures but his release clause is just €60m. Matthaus went on to explain that this operation makes both sporting and financial sense for Barcelona.
“His release clause is only 60 million euros and his current value is already above 100 million euros. He is a fantastic player.”
Barcelona have been linked with a move for the Spanish winger quite extensively in recent days. Even club president Joan Laporta has come out in the media and revealed that Barcelona can financially afford Nico’s signing.
It’s obvious that Nico’s stocks have skyrocketed in the past month following his Euro exploits. The Bilbao winger along with Lamine Yamal of Barcelona provided a new dimension to De La Fuente’s attack by adding verticality.
In fact, the Spanish coach waxed lyrical about the duo, claiming that they had a “gift from God”. Bringing the successful duo to Barcelona seems to be not just Flick’s dream, with every fan out there wishing for the same.
Nico would be a fantastic addition to the project. He would help bring the best out of the likes of Balde and Pedri. His La Roja teammates should help him settle into the club seamlessly. Let’s hope Barcelona can return to the 1:1 rule and wrap up this signing as soon as possible.
