Barcelona are under the wing of new Sporting Director Deco, and following his presentation of the new sporting structure on Wednesday, a fresh target for the Blaugrana has emerged.
Sport say that Barcelona have been in touch with the agent of Athletic Club star Nico Williams. The 21-year-old has a release clause of €50m, but is out of contract in 2024, perhaps opening a window of opportunity for Barcelona.
Aston Villa have also been intermittently linked with Williams, the younger of the two brothers, who now has 10 caps for Spain and 2 goals. During the latest Spain call-up, the Blaugrana also noticed how close Williams was to their own stars Lamine Yamal, Alejandro Balde and Gavi. The option of a move to the Premier League was discarded in the summer, and Williams is thought to be in talks with Los Leones over a new three-year deal.
Yet Barcelona have told his agent Felix Tainta that he is on their list of potential options for next summer, an interest that would only grow larger if he were to be available on a free transfer.
Williams recently spoke on his future at the end of August, declaring that contract talks were ‘going very well’, amid reports that he was close to signing a short-term extension with the club that would include an affordable release clause.
Athletic Club players are famously loyal to the club, and their other young star Oihan Sancet to a nine-year deal. The chances of Barcelona extracting him for free seem slim, but if they could, it would be a major coup.
