According to reports, Barcelona director Deco has met with Nico Williams’ agent, with the Athletic Bilbao winger also on Arsenal’s radar.
Williams is one of the Gunners’ top transfer targets this summer, though Arsenal are reportedly prioritising the signing of a centre-forward.
RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting CP goal machine Viktor Gyokeres are the leading candidates, with both expected to cost at least £60million.
Manchester United are also interested in Gyokeres, and none of Arteta’s top targets are likely to join without competition from elsewhere.
Competition for Williams’ signature is fierce, with reported interest from German champions Bayern Munich and Spanish champions Barcelona.
Blaugrana president Joan Laporta recently cooled talk of a move, saying: “He was one of the candidates we were looking at when we were evaluating options. We have a good profile of this player, who is an excellent player, but I think at this moment we are evaluating other options.”
A report from Marca in May even stated that Barcelona had ‘closed the file’ on the Spanish winger.
However, in a ‘bombshell’ twist, the club’s sporting director Deco has reportedly met with Williams’ agent to explore whether a deal is possible.
According to Sport, Barcelona held a ‘market summit’ with the player’s agent, Felix Tainta, in a hotel in the city as they look to compete for a player with ‘several very powerful offers on the table’.
Athletic are keen to fend off interest with a new contract and wanted to understand Barcelona’s position.
The report confirms that Arsenal and Bayern have already ‘knocked on his door to negotiate’, but if he does leave Bilbao, Williams is believed to prefer staying in La Liga – giving Barca a key advantage.
He already knows several Barcelona players from the Spanish national team and is said to be confident of slotting in seamlessly, while the 22-year-old has reportedly been ‘assured’ that the club will not face registration issues if a transfer materialises.
Signing a left-winger is new head coach Hansi Flick’s top priority, and the German also has Luis Diaz on his radar, with the Liverpool forward described as ‘the chosen and preferred one’.
Flick is also keen on Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, and the report adds that Deco has met with his representatives too.
Williams has a £48million release clause, but his wage demands are thought to be a major stumbling block for clubs such as Arsenal, Barcelona and Bayern.
The Spain star recorded 11 goals and seven assists in 45 appearances across all competitions in 2024/25.
Fabrizio Romano has also reported that Deco and Tainta met after two separate meetings with Bayern, and has previously said Williams is ‘top of Arsenal’s list’.