FC Barcelona target would prefer Real Madrid move

FC Barcelona have been very active in the free transfer market over the last 12 months, managing to bring quality players to Catalonia without the financial burden of a transfer fee.

This summer we saw star German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan arrive from Manchester City and experienced centre-back Iñigo Martínez arrive from Athletic Bilbao.

According to Cristina Cubero via El Chiringuito TV, Barcelona has been working on a 2024 free-agent signing for months.

Based on the report by Cristina, Athletic Club winger Nico Williams has been identified as the perfect target by the recruitment team at Barca, and the powers that be are keen to secure the agreement as quickly as possible.

Williams is a Spanish international having made 10 appearances for the senior Spain side, scoring on 2 occasions. At Athletic he’s been a sensation, making 75 appearances despite his young age.

Williams has been talking with Athletic Club over a contract renewal, but discussions seem to have stalled recently, which has opened the door for Barcelona, who have already made contact with his representatives knowing he can sign an agreement to join the La Liga champions in January.

Real Madrid are now showing signs of interfering in the transfer

Although it’s not known if Real Madrid has made contact with the agents of Williams, a report in SPORT today indicated that the winger would prefer Madrid over Barcelona.

The article suggests that Williams would be a target of Florentino Perez, and fit the recruitment strategy at Real Madrid. It also indicates that Real Madrid has the financial flexibility to offer him a deal that’s very difficult to turn down.

"Even in ‘Chiringuito’ they commented that Nico Williams would opt for Madrid more than Barça in the future if he ends up having an offer from the white club that convinces him financially."

If Williams is allowed to leave for free, it would be a devastating blow for Athletic. It’s also presumed that several Premier League clubs would be interested in signing the winger.