Transfer News: Manchester United rival Liverpool for Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams
According to the Spanish outlet Fichajes (h/t The Mirror), Manchester United are currently battling it out with Liverpool to facilitate a transfer for Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams this summer. He is one of the highly-rated talents who are plying their trade in La Liga, looking to fulfil their full potential.
Williams is currently contracted with Athletic Club for two more years, but that has not stopped Premier League clubs from expressing their interest in his services. Man United, just like the Reds, are keeping tabs on his situation right now to assess their options before actively pursuing him in the future.
That being said, the Merseysiders, in particular, appear to have a heightened interest as they are closely monitoring the Spanish starlet as of now. In fact, they are currently considering whether to trigger his release clause or not, which is valued at £42million ahead of the next season.
Who is Nico Williams?
Primarily a right-winger, the 19-year-old is also capable of deputising on the left-hand side of the attack when required. That could explain why we are keeping an eye out for him, considering how we are pretty short-handed when it comes to options on the right-wing.
Marcus Rashford and Anthony Elanga were forced to be utilised as right-wingers under Ralf Rangnick, which showcases our current plight. We have been linked with Ajax’s Antony, but his outrageous €80million valuation has cooled down our interest which is quite understandable indeed.
Williams has started to slowly make his mark in the first team as he has made 41 appearances which amount to 1576 minutes across all competitions. He also has three goals in the process and has even shown great promise with his ability to break down opposing defences by threading passes or through his dribbling skills.
Williams is not a finished product just yet, but he could prove to be a good investment if the right support is provided. Furthermore, having already garnered experience in the European top five leagues, his adaptation to the English top-flight could be more seamless than in the case of Antony, for example.
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However, Jurgen Klopp’s side could provide stern competition to us as they seem to be seriously interested in the La Liga ace. They could use a backup option for Mohamed Salah and are a more attractive destination than us at the moment.
Then again, moving to Old Trafford could ensure that Williams would earn regular game times, which is quite important for him at this point in his career. Whether that will gain us an edge in this transfer race or not would need to be seen.
