Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have entered the race to sign one of Barcelona’s top summer targets, Nico Williams, as the Spaniard is on the radar of multiple clubs, reported The Athletic on Tuesday.
Williams, 22, is the brother of Inaki Williams and plays for Spanish club Athletic Bilbao. The 22-year-old forward was one of Spain’s best performers at the recently concluded European Championships (Euro) 2024 which La Roja won by beating England in the final.
Williams also scored in the final and was a consistent performer throughout the tournament and thus, is wanted by several clubs but Barcelona are reportedly leading the race to sign him.
PSG are now targeting Williams as well as they want a top winger to replace Kylian Mbappe, who left the club for Real Madrid recently. The Athletic Bilbao star has a contract till 2027 but he could be sold for a good offer.
The exact price of William’s release clause is not known but as per the report, it is valued at around €55 to €60 million.
PSG are also linked with Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (23) and AC Milan’s Rafael Leao (25) and the addition of Williams would sort out their attack as the French club is still aiming for its first Champions League title.
Earlier, La Liga president Javier Tebas stated that Barcelona can sign Williams if they returned to the previous spending limit.
"If Barca return to a 1:1 spending limit [permitted to invest anything they raise in transfers or savings on wages], meaning they aren't in excess of their cap, they will be able to do so," Tebas told Diario Sport when asked if a deal for Williams would be possible financially.
"You have to think that with Barcelona's efforts to reduce their wage bill by more than €200m ($218m) and other measures that have already taken place within the club that have nothing to do with their financial levers [selling assets], it is perfectly possible to bring in a player like Nico Williams.”
