Nico Williams will be one of the 'bargains' of the European market next summer. The Athletic Club winger seemed to have a clear path to join FC Barcelona alongside his ideal partner in La Roja, Lamine Yamal, after winning the Eurocup in Germany, but the financial problems at Barça and the player's desire to play in the Europa League with the Bilbao team ruled out not only the interest from Barcelona but also a couple of 'heavyweights' who, in 2025, will again go after the 21-year-old forward.
The first contender for the Pamplona native is Paris Saint-Germain. The French club already tried to convince the Spanish international to move to the French capital last summer with the promise of making him the successor to Kylian Mbappé. However, the Basque prioritized staying in LaLiga, 'passing' on a lucrative contract with Luis Enrique's team. Looking ahead to 2025, if the Asturian remains on the bench at the Parc des Princes, the '11' from Athletic will again be a market priority.
United also wants Nico Williams
Nico's numbers for the 2024/25 season are quite poor (2 goals and 5 assists in 1,534 minutes spread over 22 appearances), but this does not cool the rumors about his departure from San Mamés next summer. Alongside PSG, Manchester United is also very attentive to the future of the younger Williams. The 'red devils' seem willing to let Marcus Rashford go and the Athletic star would be the chosen one to inherit the '10' jersey in 2025.
For both teams, the Basque's release clause (around 60 million euros) is not a major obstacle to trying to sign him. What is a challenge is convincing him to leave Spain, as both institutions are going through complicated times in the sporting arena. Paris leads Ligue 1 with authority but struggles in Europe and could miss out on the Champions League playoffs.
United, on the other hand, is fighting to climb positions in the Premier League and regain international prestige in the Europa League. If Barcelona ultimately decides to go for him, it is almost certain that Nico will accept the Blaugrana offer, where he will reunite with Lamine Yamal and several of his friends in the National Team. Moreover, he could join a Barça team that, unlike the mentioned clubs, aspires to win everything in 2025.