Why World Cup winner Nico Williams is still a candidate to be Liverpool’s new winger this summer
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As they assess what is quickly becoming a dwindling winger market this summer, Liverpool supporters may have been forgiven for overlooking the candidacy of Spain star Nico Williams.Williams was reportedly on Liverpool’s radar last summer, but after the Basque signed a new, 10-year deal with Athletic Bilbao, any thoughts of aN exit disappeared.The 24-year-old followed that up with a disappointing season for Athletic, scoring just six times and providing four assists as he struggled with injury issues. Who should Liverpool’s new top target be after being rejected by Yan Diomande?
The forward looked sharp and threatening throughout his 45 minutes on the pitch, and with a fairly reasonable release clause woven into his Athletic contract, he is a player Liverpool should be looking into signing in the remainder of the window.Liverpool can sign Nico Williams for less than €100mCurrently, Liverpool’s primary forward target appears to be Bradley Barcola, but there are doubts over whether Paris Saint-Germain would sell the Frenchman, and if they do, he is probably going to cost more than £100m.While Barcola would be an exciting signing, Williams is arguably on a par with him, and, like the PSG man, has the potential to become genuinely world-class.READ MORE: When will Samuel Martinez join Liverpool? Reds plan revealed as Colombian talent signs for £750kAs Fabrizio Romano reported in July 2025, Williams’ new contract has a ‘€95/100m’ exit clause, which works out as something like £80-85m.Though this is a big price to pay for a player who has not been prolific for quite some time, it is surely within Liverpool’s reach, and, despite their need being primarily for a right forward, Barcola is also mainly a left-sider, so that may not matter too much to the Reds either.
His performance in the World Cup final put him back onto the radar of the wider footballing population, and as they ponder their next move in a disappointing market, Williams could be a trump card for Liverpool to play.Could wages be a problem for Liverpool?Despite the relatively low release clause for Williams, part of the reason clubs from around Europe have been unable to sign him from Athletic previously has been the issue of his wages.Though reporting on salaries should always be taken with a pinch of salt, football finance site Capology place Williams’ weekly earnings at €330,577.For context, Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool’s top earner, is said to be on £350,000 per week, which, converted to Euros, would be around €411,000.Photo by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty ImagesThough Liverpool could clearly afford to match, or better, Williams’ wages at San Mames, it is highly unlikely they would be willing to go anywhere near this figure to sign him this summer.Nevertheless, that does not mean the Reds could not tempt the newly-crowned world champion. Having been heavily linked with Barcelona before putting pen to paper last summer, Williams has clearly considered an exit, and it has previously been reported that he would be keen on a move to the Premier League as well.And though the sheer length of his agreement with Athletic suggests that he will be there to stay, if Liverpool come in with an offer to make him the main man in the coming weeks, it would surely be enough to at least get Williams to the table.