After an impressive Euros campaign, Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams almost seemed destined to join Barcelona.
The Spaniard is best friends with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and with the Blaugrana needing a left winger, it looked like the perfect fit.
Sadly, due to the financial restraints at Barca, the transfer fell through and it looks like that could be the last chance the Catalonian side have to sign the 22-year-old.
After missing out on the Spanish international, many Premier League clubs showed interest in signing him, including Liverpool and Arsenal, but ultimately he decided to stay with his boyhood club.
Despite this loyalty, all signs pointed towards him leaving Bilbao in the summer of 2025 and recent reports have stated he has chosen his next destination.
CarpetasFCB, via Managing Barca, has claimed that Williams has now informed his best friend Yamal that he plans to sign for Arsenal over Barcelona this summer.
Williams apparently has a €58million release clause and his current salary is €200k per week, so it makes sense why the Premier League side are set to beat the Blaugrana to his signature.
Fortunately, the Bilbao winger is still young and even if he spends 4-5 years abroad, a return to Spain, and potentially Barcelona, could still be on the cards.