Manchester United are reportedly ready to pay “close to €100 million” to sign Athletic Club winger Nico Williams ahead of the 2024–25 season.
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Manchester United could make a swoop for the services of Athletic Club star Nico Williams and “would be willing to make a significant offer” close to the €100 million mark next summer amid claims manager Erik ten Hag has made a final decision to replace flop Anthony Martial, who has fallen short of expectations.
Despite concerns over his own long-term future at Old Trafford, the Dutchman is planning for United’s long-term future and has drawn up plans for the next two transfer windows. And, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe expected to complete his 25 percent purchase of Manchester United in the next few weeks, there appear to be no urgent intentions to fire Ten Hag as United boss.
Ten Hag’s immediate priority, though, is to bolster his squad with a couple of key additions in January, with a new attacker to add a new source of goals to take some of the workload off Rasmus Hojlund very much a priority.
The 20-year-old Dane became the fastest-ever United player to score five goals in the Champions League after just four games. However, after failing to score at Anfield over the weekend, the £72 million summer signing from Atalanta still has zero goal contributions in his 13 Premier League appearances, including 10 starts, for the Red Devils.
Back-up striker Martial has continued his struggles at Old Trafford, and with the Frenchman’s deal expiring at Old Trafford in the summer, Ten Hag is ready to let him depart—possibly as soon as January for a nominal fee—while Jadon Sancho is out of favour after failing to impress on the pitch before publicly starting a feud with the Dutch manager.
With all that in mind, Ten Hag wants to invest in his forward line, and his primary target to fix the problem is Athletic Club attacking sensation Williams.
The 21-year-old enjoyed a promising 2022–23 season with the La Liga outfit, scoring nine goals and providing six assists in 43 appearances in all competitions. He has continued the good form this term with four goals and five assists from 15 outings, and his form has caught the eye of elite European clubs.
Williams is an elite talent with a big future ahead of him, and his versatility to operate on both flanks could help United plug the gaps in their squad. Contracted at Bilbao until summer 2028, Athletic Club are bound to demand a sizeable transfer fee for their star asset in the summer of 2024.
