Arsenal and Chelsea STUNNED as Nico Williams approves bombshell transfer

Tom Weber
Tom Weber
  • Updated: 9 Jun 2025 12:44 CDT
  • 5 min read
Nico Williams, Athletic Club
© IMAGO

Bayern Munich have held fresh talks with Athletic Club winger Nico Williams, and the player is open to the move, according to German media.

The Bavarians are desperately trying to add a high-profile left-winger to complement French superstar Michael Olise on the right. A host of names are being considered, including the likes of Rafael Leao, Kaoru Mitoma and Cody Gakpo.

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Now, Sky Germany reports that Bayern have a new 'top target' for the position in the shape of PSG attacker Bradley Barcola. However, it is acknowledged that the Bundesliga champions are unsure as to whether a move is feasible.

Compared
Player image Bradley Barcola
Bradley Barcola

F (L)

PSG logo

PSG

Bradley Barcola
Bradley Barcola

F (L)

PSG

PSG

VS

Player image Nico Williams
Nico Williams

M (L)

Athletic logo

Athletic

Nico Williams
Nico Williams

M (L)

Athletic

Athletic

€71.6M

ETV

€70.6M

€64.4M - €78.7M ETV Range €63.5M - €77.7M
22 years old (02 Sep, 2002) Age 22 years old (12 Jul, 2002)
France France
Nationality
Spain Spain

In recent weeks, there have been reports that Barcola is unwilling to commit to PSG long-term after seeing his importance under Luis Enrique diminish. The Parisians are said to be keen to offer him a new contract, but the player has no intention of accepting as things stand.

This is likely what has prompted Bayern's interest, and there seems to be a potential window of opportunity. That said, Barcola only joined PSG in 2023 and will likely be quite expensive.

Bayern hold Williams talks

The German outlet, therefore, reports that Nico Williams has been identified as the 'top alternative.' In fact, it is claimed that Bayern have held fresh talks with the Spain international in recent days, and crucially, the 22-year-old signalled an openness to making the move.

Similar to Barcola, signing Williams will be a pricey affair. His €60 million release clause is viewed as great value for money, but his huge wage is once again proving an issue. Last summer, Arsenal and Chelsea baulked at the overall cost of signing the winger.

Nico Williams
© IMAGO - Nico Williams

The two Premier League behemoths still 'dream' of signing Williams, but there have been doubts over his willingness to swap Bilbao for London. Given these latest developments, though, it seems that he is ready to leave.

Amid all of the interest from suitors, Athletic Club have offered their star boy a bumper new contract that would see him earn even more than the whopping €7–8m net he is already on. The Bilbao outfit also want to bump up his release clause.

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