Arsenal ready to activate Barcelona target’s €58 million release clause in January – report | OneFootball

Nico Williams remains very much a player of interest for FC Barcelona after the club failed to secure his signing from Athletic Club in the summer.

The 22-year-old Spanish international is one of several options that the Catalans are looking at to reinforce the left flank in the summer transfer window of 2025.

However, there may be a possibility that the Blaugrana end up missing out on the services of the UEFA Euro 2024 winner, with other top clubs lurking to sign him – even as early as this month.

Arsenal willing to trigger Nico Williams’ release clause

Indeed, according to Football Transfers, Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal are ready to activate Nico Williams’ €58 million release clause in the ongoing winter transfer window.

The Gunners are on the lookout for attacking reinforcements following the injury setback to key forward Bukayo Saka and have identified Nico as one of the primary targets, with the Spaniard having been on their agenda for a while now.

Premier League bound? (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

In fact, the report states that Arsenal are already in talks with the Athletic Club winger’s agent and are waiting on the green light from the player so that they can trigger the release clause.

Interestingly, Mikel Arteta’s side also like another Barcelona target – AC Milan’s Rafael Leao but they see Nico as a more affordable option, considering that the former would cost around €75-80 million.

One of the main reasons why Nico did not join Barcelona in the summer and opted to continue at Athletic Club was the Catalans’ Fair Play issue as there were concerns in his camp about his registration.

Having now seen Dani Olmo and Pau Victor’s registration soap opera, the 22-year-old might have reservations about a future move to Catalonia which could end up playing in Arsenal’s hands.