Liverpool have emerged as the frontrunners to sign Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams this summer, with Spanish reports indicating the Basque club is now willing to accept a fee below the player’s official release clause to facilitate a move.
Williams carries a €95 million release clause in his contract, but Athletic are reportedly open to a formula closer to €60 million upfront plus €20 million in add-ons, with Liverpool prepared to invest around €80 million in total to get the deal done.
The Reds are described by Fichajes as “ready to make that investment” after identifying the 23-year-old Spaniard as possessing the ideal qualities to lead their post-Salah attacking project, framing this as a structural decision rather than a reactive one.
A significant factor accelerating the timeline is Athletic Club’s own situation. Manager Ernesto Valverde’s resignation and the club’s failure to qualify for European competition next season has created an exit window that was not available twelve months ago when Barcelona came calling.
Williams rejected Barcelona’s advances last summer and signed a contract extension to 2035, so the fact he is now being openly discussed as a potential departure signals a genuine change in his own thinking about his next step.
He covers both flanks effectively but has operated predominantly from the left this season, offering the direct, pace-heavy profile that Arne Slot’s attacking system is built to accommodate, particularly from wide positions cutting inside onto his stronger right foot.
Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig had been Liverpool’s primary target earlier in the window, but that pursuit now appears to have stalled with Leipzig insisting publicly the 19-year-old is “going nowhere” and their asking price rising toward a prohibitive €150 million.
Bradley Barcola remains on the periphery of Liverpool’s planning, but his situation at PSG is complicated by the club’s own rebuild and their unwillingness to sell without a suitable replacement already identified and signed.
Williams’s Spain squad commitments at the World Cup beginning in June will add a public dimension to negotiations that clubs typically prefer to keep quiet, meaning both parties have an incentive to resolve the situation before the tournament starts.
A family of clubs tracking Williams reportedly includes Real Madrid, where Vinicius Junior’s contract uncertainty has prompted the Spanish giants to explore long-term options, though Liverpool’s financial readiness and willingness to commit to a fee gives them a structural advantage in the race.
Liverpool lose Salah this summer after he agreed to terminate his contract, with the Egyptian departing as the club’s third-highest scorer of all time, and the scale of the task of replacing him gives the Williams pursuit an urgency that the club’s recruitment team is clearly treating seriously.
