Fabrizio Romano has dismissed the possibility of Arsenal signing Barcelona target Nico Williams in the final days of the transfer window.
The future of Nico Williams has been up in the air since the start of the transfer window. But nothing concrete has happened as yet. Arsenal are one of the clubs that have been linked with him in recent weeks, but according to Fabrizio Romano via Give Me Sport, the Gunners won’t be making a move for the Spanish superstar attacker before the transfer deadline.
Williams has enjoyed an exceptional rise at Athletic Club. He has only gone from strength to strength since getting promoted to their first team in the summer of 2021. The Spaniard was one of their standout performers last season, with eight goals and 19 assists in his 37 outings.
He carried that form into Euro 2024 and helped Spain lift the European Championships with two goals and an assist. Nico Williams was one of their star performers in the continental tournament help in Germany. His performance did not go unnoticed, and there has been no shortage of interest in his services this summer.
While the Spanish international still has three years left on his deal at the club, there is a £49 million release clause in his contract, which makes it quite easy for any interested club to prise him away. Barcelona have been working on a potential transfer for weeks. But unfortunately, they could not get it over the line.
The Catalan giants were in talks with both parties, but they have not been able to strike a deal. With Barcelona struggling to register Dani Olmo until this week, a move for Williams is highly unlikely in the final days of the window. It surely is a massive boost for Arsenal, who have been monitoring him for some time.
Arsenal unlikely to sign Nico Williams
The North London club have been consistently linked with the Spanish international in recent weeks. Multiple reports suggest that Mikel Arteta wants him to be their next marquee signing as they look to finally beat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to the Premier League title.
But, according to Romano, Arsenal will not sign a super big name like Nico Williams in the final days of the transfer window. The Spanish winger making the move to the North London club is not realistic according to the Italian transfer expert despite all the reports.
The 22-year-old is expected to continue at the Athletic Club for another season after the move to Barcelona fell off. He has been handed the jersey number 10 by his childhood club which suggests he is all set to continue there.
