Athletic sets its sights on England to sign Nico Williams' successor

Nico Williams' future looks increasingly distant from San Mamés. Although, for now, the '11' is still not giving any hints about what his next club will be, the board of Athletic is starting to see the continuity of their star as an impossible mission. In addition to FC Barcelona, other big clubs in Europe will go after the Basque winger in the summer, taking advantage of the affordability of his release clause and the poor season that, so far, the Pamplona native is having in the 2024/25 season.

The younger Williams has only scored 2 goals and provided 5 assists in 23 matches (1,623 minutes) with Ernesto Valverde's team, numbers well below the level he reached last season (8 goals and 19 assists in 37 appearances) and, especially, in the Eurocup with Spain. In that sense, the 'txingurri' already has a clear idea of who could be the successor of the 22-year-old forward in the 2025/26 season, understanding that his drop in performance may be related to the enormous media noise surrounding his future.

Borja Sainz gains traction as a possible replacement for Nico Williams at Athletic

The latest rumors indicate Athletic's interest in Borja Sainz, a Spanish forward who has surprised in the first half of the 24/25 season with Norwich City in England. The player from Leioa has scored 15 goals in 25 Championship matches (second division), leading the attack of the Canary team. Norwich is far from promotion this season, but the Spanish attacker remains, for now, as the top scorer of the tournament, with 3 goals ahead of Josh Maja (West Bromwich).

The best news for the Basques is that Sainz's contract ends in 2026 and he could arrive for a price close to 10 million euros, a smaller percentage of the 60 'million' euros that, in theory, they will receive from the sale of Nico Williams. Borja is a product of Alavés' youth academy, where he was until the summer of 2021. An unsuccessful loan to Zaragoza ended up opening the exit door for him in 2022, heading to Turkey.

After a year with Giresunspor, the Spaniard arrived free to Norwich in the summer of 2024. This season, his numbers have improved significantly, as in his first year in England he only scored 8 goals in 42 matches, practically half of what he managed to score between August and December 2024. Beyond the final decision of the Pamplona 'crack', Athletic seems determined to go after the '7' of Norwich, who would be delighted to return to LaLiga with a big club.