Barcelona ready to trigger Nico Williams release clause to lure Spain hero from Athletic Club

Per Sport, the Catalan giants are ready to trigger the €58 million (£48m/$63m) release clause in the player's contract as they consider the winger to be a priority signing in the summer transfer window. The report further claimed that the player had agreed to join Barcelona and the club would pay the fee as soon as they formally received the approval of Williams and his agent.

To fund Williams' move, the Blaugrana are reportedly planning to offload Brazilian winger Raphinha. The club had earlier demanded €90 million (£76m/$98m) for the Brazil international, who attracted interest from Saudi Arabia. However, recent reports indicate his asking price has dropped to €50 million (£42.16m/$54.46m)

22-year-old Williams had a dream outing in the 2023/24 campaign for club and country. After helping Athletic Club win the Copa del Rey last season, he played a stellar role alongside Lamine Yamal to guide Spain to their record fourth European Championship title.

Hansi Flick and his side are set to travel to the US where they will play pre-season friendly matches against Manchester City, Real Madrid and AC Milan.