A dramatic shift in the race for Athletic Club’s winger, Nico Williams, has seen a new club take pole position.
The 22-year-old, who is known for his destructive pace and creativity, has been at the forefront of Bayern Munich’s targets, and the German club had multiple meetings with Williams’ agent.
However, it now seems that the Bavarians have fallen behind the new club that is now leading the talk for Williams after conducting important talks in the last 24 hours.
With the forward also having a release clause of €62 million and an exorbitant salary, this looks like a high-risk acquisition, with Williams’ final decision on transfer mainly depending on sporting ambition as well as off-field terms.
The club that is currently ahead is FC Barcelona, whose manager, Hansi Flick, is keen on bringing Nico Williams into the 2025-26 plans.
According to reports from Florian Plettenburg, Barcelona has gained the edge after productive talks with the player and keeping in mind that Williams said he would rather stay in La Liga and signed with the Catalan champions over any other offers.
Bayern, of course, is still in the hunt but now finds itself waiting on whether or not Barcelona can conclude the transfer until the financial rubble can be resolved.
If Barcelona gets the approval of La Liga for the deal, Nico Williams is expected to wear the Blaugrana jersey, possibly working with Lamine Yamal to form a dangerous duo.
For Bayern, it is a difficult situation in which Bayern viewed Williams as a true replacement for the departing group of wingers.
And though Barcelona’s push was largely from Flick’s new vision of the attacking group, their offense is set to get a public boost.
With both sides continuing negotiations daily, time will tell if Barcelona can finalize this deal or if Bayern can put themselves back into the conversation on this transfer.
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