Arsenal are intensifying their efforts to sign Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams ahead of the summer transfer window, with sporting director Andrea Berta driving the pursuit of a player Mikel Arteta has repeatedly identified as the profile he wants in wide areas.
The 23-year-old Spaniard committed to a 10-year deal at Athletic Club last summer, walking away from significant interest including from Barcelona. But that commitment has not quieted the transfer speculation, and intermediaries representing Williams have been sounding out Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool over the past several months, signalling that the player is now genuinely open to a move despite his long-term contract.
Williams’s current deal includes a release clause of approximately £78 million, a sum that rose from £60 million as part of the renewed terms he signed last year. Arsenal are reportedly considering triggering that clause, a significant financial commitment given that Williams has been hampered by a groin injury for large portions of the current season, limiting him to fewer than 20 starts. In total across a difficult campaign, he has contributed four goals and two assists, well below the standards he set at Euro 2024.
His immediate priority is regaining full fitness ahead of the World Cup, where he is expected to play a central role for Spain. But the football intelligence coming out of the Emirates suggests Arsenal’s recruitment staff have been closely tracking his recovery and are satisfied with his progression back toward match sharpness.
The logic behind the Arsenal move is straightforward. Arteta has built a squad capable of competing on multiple fronts, but wide areas have been a recurring limitation. Gabriel Martinelli has been inconsistent, Leandro Trossard’s long-term future at the club is uncertain, and neither offers the game-breaking, one-on-one quality that Williams can provide on his best days. An exit for one of the two would likely follow any Williams arrival.
Barcelona have long been linked but their financial situation makes triggering a £78 million clause and meeting Williams’s wage demands simultaneously very difficult. Chelsea are monitoring the situation, but their squad already contains significant wide options. Arsenal, in the view of most analysts, are the strongest realistic suitor at this stage.
Athletic Club themselves face a complicating factor. The club is reportedly embroiled in a UEFA investigation into potential rule breaches, which could result in restrictions on their ability to register transfer income. That backdrop may actually increase Bilbao’s urgency to complete a sale quickly and cleanly, which could benefit a club like Arsenal prepared to move early and efficiently.
Williams represents the kind of generational talent that does not come to market often at this price point. The release clause effectively sets the ceiling, which removes the open-ended negotiation risk. Berta’s arrival from Atletico Madrid brings exactly the kind of continental network and negotiating experience this deal requires.