Manchester City are now ‘ahead of any other suitor’ in the race to sign Spain international Nico Williams, who is thought to be Arsenal’s top winger target this summer. The Gunners attempted to lure Williams to the Emirates after Euro 2024 as Barcelona also made a play for his signature, but the winger opted to stay at Athletic Bilbao.
Williams has now reportedly decided that he would like to leave and after a report on Thursday claimed Barcelona have ‘closed the file’ on the 22-year-old, the path appeared to be clear for Arsenal to land him.
A report from Spain claimed: ‘The London club, which has previously expressed interest, is willing to make a firm offer as soon as the summer transfer window opens. According to sources close to the player, the Gunners see Nico as a key player to strengthen their flanks and are willing to pay the player’s €58 million release clause .
Mikel Arteta has asked the club to make an effort to sign the Spanish international, as he believes his profile would fit perfectly into Arsenal’s system: speed, speed, youth, and room for improvement. Furthermore, the possibility of playing in the Champions League and competing for titles in England is increasingly appealing to the player.’
But a separate report in Spain claims City could be about to deliver a huge blow to Arsenal as Pep Guardiola sees Nico Williams as ‘the ideal candidate’ to improve his squad next season.
Jack Grealish is widely expected to leave the Eithad, opening up a left wing spot in the squad Williams could fill in order to compete with Jeremy Doku for a place in the starting XI.
The report adds that Barcelona ducking out of the race opens the door for the English team to get ahead of any other suitor. The report states: From the Etihad Stadium they consider that the Navarre winger is just the profile that the squad needs to take a new leap in quality and leave behind the setbacks suffered during this season, marked by injuries and certain irregularities in the team’s offensive game.
The price would not be an obstacle for the “citizens”, who see that figure very affordable taking into account the current market and the potential offered by Nico, who at just 22 years old is already one of the prominent figures of LaLiga and the Spanish national team. Guardiola wants a differential and explosive player by side, and sees in Nico Williams the ideal candidate.
City is willing to activate the termination clause and turn the young lion into a new protagonist of the Premier League. The English offensive is underway, and everything indicates that it will be one of the names of the summer.
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