Arsenal has now identified its preferred candidate to sign a £54 million star, as Barcelona’s interest waned.Arsenal’s pursuance of Spanish star Nico Williams has been significantly bolstered by reports that Barcelona’s pursuit of the winger has reached a standstill.
The 22-year-old has been the subject of interest for both Arsenal and Barcelona in the past year. However, Arsenal prioritised a loan deal for Raheem Sterling from Chelsea during the summer. Arsenal is once again considering Williams, who possesses a £54.2 million release clause in his contract.
The Gunners may have a clear opportunity to acquire his services after Barcelona reportedly rejected the player’s wage demands of £7.5 million to £8.3 million per season.
Due to budgetary constraints, Barcelona is currently exploring alternative targets, such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Napoli, as reported by Diario Sport.
This development could potentially allow Arsenal to acquire Nico Williams, who scored eight goals and provided 19 assists last season and has already contributed two goals and two assists in the current campaign.
Deco, the sporting director of Barcelona, had previously expressed interest in Williams, elucidating the reason for the club’s pursuit of him during the summer:
“Nico is a player in whom we were interested during the summer.” We attempted to recruit him; however, the participant ultimately made a decision, and life continued. We prioritised the acquisition of Dani Olmo, as we lacked a player of her calibre in our roster.
The intention with Nico was to introduce additional competition at the outset; however, there is no further discussion once the participant expresses no interest in attending. CLICK HERE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PRESENT.
Join the Arsenal WhatsApp Group Chat Now! In the interim, Victor Font, a candidate for the Barcelona presidency, has criticised the current president, Joan Laporta, for misleading supporters regarding the club’s financial capacity to sign Williams.
“I wish we could sign Nico Williams because that’s what we need,” Font expressed his frustrations in an interview with The Athletic.
The president has asserted that it is feasible; however, this assertion is inaccurate. Presently, it is impossible to accomplish. We are optimistic that it will be feasible tomorrow. However, this is not the case at present.
“The members desire to believe and dream the things they tell us.” The issue is that they have been informing us for the past three summers that everything is in order, that we will sign players, and that everything has been resolved.
Credibility diminishes with each passing year. And if promises are not fulfilled this summer, credibility will plummet even further.
Arsenal’s path to acquiring the dynamic winger appears less obstructed as Barcelona’s interest appears to be waning. As the January transfer window approaches, the Gunners, who are keen to enhance their attacking capabilities, will likely maintain a close eye on the situation.
