Arsenal and Liverpool have reportedly 'made contact' with Nico Williams's camp to discuss a summer move, but the Athletic Bilbao forward still views Barcelona as his first-choice destination in terms of a new club.
Barcelona activated the £48m release clause in Williams's Athletic contract last summer, but the Spain international ultimately turned down the chance to make the move to Hansi Flick's side.
Williams was in outstanding form for Athletic during the 2023-24 campaign, scoring eight goals and registering 19 assists in 37 appearances, before helping Spain to win Euro 2024 with two goals and one assist at the finals.
The 22-year-old only has four goals and five assists in 30 appearances for the Lions this term, but he remains one of the most in-demand forwards in European football due to the presence of a relatively low release clause.
According to TBR Football, Arsenal and Liverpool have recently 'made contact' with the forward's representatives to discuss a potential transfer, but Williams' preference would be to join Barcelona, should he leave San Mames.
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Williams 'wants Barcelona move' despite Premier League interest
Williams only has one goal and three assists in 19 La Liga appearances this season, but he has four goal contributions in eight outings in the Europa League, with Athletic among the favourites for the trophy.
"I'm not thinking about that right now," Williams told El Mundo towards the end of last year when asked about his future beyond the end of the current season. "The fans are very happy that I'm staying here and I'm very happy to be here. Bilbao is my home, I want to continue enjoying it and the truth is that I'm very happy.
"I've always had things very clear and I think people see that. I think I'm doing really well and trying to take Athletic to the top in Spain and in Europe, with that final in San Mames that excites us so much. That's the only thing that matters now."
Barcelona want to sign a left-sided forward this summer, with Deco recently confirming that the Catalan outfit would be looking to sign a player in that area of the field at the end of the campaign.
"We have players who can play in various positions: [Dani] Olmo, Raphinha, Fermin [Lopez]... but it's true that we might be missing a player on the left wing," Raphinha told SPORT.
"It's not that it's an absolute priority because Raphinha is performing perfectly and Fermin can play there even though it's not his position. If you look at the squad, maybe we could have one more player there."
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Could Barcelona re-sign Neymar this summer?
There have been suggestions that Neymar is determined to secure a return to Barcelona this summer, with the experienced forward looking to prove himself at Santos in the coming months with a view to making the move back to the Catalan giants at the end of the season.
Neymar previously represented Barcelona between 2013 and 2017, scoring 105 goals and registering 76 assists in 186 appearances for the Catalan outfit, and he has since represented Paris Saint-Germain and Al-Hilal.
However, despite the recent speculation, it is highly unlikely that the Brazilian will be heading back to Blaugrana this summer.
Matt Law
