WHAT HAPPENED?
The 21-year-old winger is now attracting attention for his country at Euro 2024. A string of excellent performances has helped La Roja advance to the competition’s semi-finals, earning admiring glances from all over Europe.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Williams has declared that he intends to stay in Bilbao for the foreseeable future, but this has done little to quell the conjecture that he continues to fuel. Leading Premier League clubs are thought to be interested in signing the youngster, with Barcelona also in the running.
WHAT LAPORTA SAID
The Blaugrana have struggled to finish big business in recent years, with Lionel Messi leaving Camp Nou in 2021 due to a lack of funds for a new contract, but Laporta is confident that the Catalan giants can afford Williams. He told Catalunya Radio, “It is Nico’s responsibility.” We are working on the operations that [Hansi] Flick has requested of us. Today, we can afford to sign Nico Williams. “We can handle a signing like Nico’s.
WHAT NEXT?
Any move for Williams, who has emerged as one of Europe’s most intriguing forwards, would bring him together with Spain teammate Lamine Yamal in Barcelona, where the 16-year-old wonderkid is also generating waves on the European Championship stage.
