Arsenal close to reaching full agreement with Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams

Arsenal have stepped up their pursuit of Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his squad to push for the Premier League title.

Barcelona were completely convinced that Nico Williams, 22, would join them in the summer after winning the Euro 2024 in Germany. The club’s chiefs did everything possible to ensure the winger ended up at Camp Nou following an impressive European campaign. However, he decided to stay at Athletic Bilbao.

The 22-year-old now has a chance to leave his boyhood club for the Premier League. Nico Williams’ agent is now reportedly in advanced negotiations with Arsenal ahead of joining the North London club in July. The deal is in the final stages, with the Gunners seemingly having shown a willingness to pay the wide-man’s €58 million release clause in his contract.

Arsenal desperately require attacking reinforcements

Arsenal are in the hunt for attacking reinforcements to help Mikel Arteta deal without the injured Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka. A lack of a pure number nine has been glaringly missing at the club and has somewhat hampered their hopes of competing with Liverpool for the title.

While Williams is not a centre-forward that the Gunners are in so desperate need of, he is one of the continent’s most exciting young wingers who has the pace, flair, creativity and energy in abundance to terrorise opposition defences. The Athletic Bilbao starlet has dazzled in La Liga in the last couple of years, and following his eye-catching Euro 2024 campaign, the winger’s stock has only enhanced.

A left-winger by trade, the Pamplona-born talent can also operate on the opposite flank with utmost comfort and cause all kinds of problems for the full-back. He is smart, good reader of the game, innovative and agile, whilst Williams’ off the ball work ethic and tenacity makes him a perfect fit in Arteta’s system at the Emirates Stadium.

Due to his versatility, the Spanish international would not only compete with the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard on the left wing but also provide cover for Saka, who is currently sidelined following a hamstring surgery. The youngster has scored three goals and provided five assists in 29 appearances across all competitions so far for Bilbao, and he is expected to usurp Trossard in Arsenal’s starting XI if he moves to the Emirates later this year.

However, with the Gunners crying out for fresh attacking impetus now, they must try to bring Williams now to North London rather than the summer, even if it requires them to pay more than his buyout clause. All in all, signing Williams now would represent a statement of intent from Arsenal.