The FC Barcelona seems to be determined to make one of their investments in the upcoming summer transfer market be the signing of a top left winger. Despite the great level shown by Raphinha in that position, the Culé team continues to consider the idea of adding a natural left winger who brings a lot of pace and imbalance on that flank.
One of the names gaining strength in Barcelona's sports planning is that of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli. However, he is not the only player that Barça is looking to reinforce their offensive front with. Despite recent statements by Deco, the Catalan team still has on their agenda a player who was at the center of one of the biggest sagas last summer: Nico Williams.
According to the newspaper 'SPORT', Barcelona will explore their options to sign Nico Williams at the end of the 2024-25 season. The aim is to bring in a player who, despite not having his best season (with two goals and two assists in 15 matches played), could become a stellar reinforcement for the Culé team, forming an exciting pair of 'explosive' wingers alongside the homegrown star, Lamine Yamal, as they demonstrated in the 2024 Euro with Spain.
However, this negotiation does not seem to be the easiest of tasks. The obstacle does not lie in the cost of acquiring his services, as if there are no changes in his contract with Athletic Club, his price would be around 65 million euros, corresponding to his release clause (taking into account the increase in the CPI). The main hurdle, as mentioned in the aforementioned source, lies in the salary that Nico Williams could be requesting.
The main hurdle in Nico Williams' signing for Barcelona
Currently, according to 'Capology', Nico Williams earns around five million euros net at Athletic Club, being the second highest-paid player in the Basque team after his brother Iñaki. Now, there is speculation that the forward could demand a salary increase if he decides to take on a new challenge outside San Mamés, which could place his earnings between eight and nine 'kilos' net.
At this point, apparently, this alleged salary demand would still stand. Therefore, under this assumption, if a possible signing by Barcelona were to materialize, Nico Williams would immediately find himself in the high salary bracket managed by the Barcelona team, placing himself directly in the top 3 of the highest-paid players in the club, just behind Robert Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong.
This salary demand could potentially raise concerns for Barcelona to consider, but other clubs interested in the talented left winger with a good economic power might be more willing to invest in him.