Market Blow? Real Madrid Set Their Sights on Nico Williams!

With just under two weeks until the opening of the special transfer window for the Club World Cup, market rumors are gaining strength, especially those related to teams that will compete in the tournament in the United States. In the case of Real Madrid, the need for reinforcements in all its lines puts several 'cracks' in the 'merengue' orbit.

The latest star linked with the 'Casa Blanca' is none other than Nico Williams. The Athletic Club forward, also wanted by FC Barcelona, is pointed out by the Madrid-based newspaper 'MARCA' as the possible surprise 'bomb' of the summer for a Madrid that begins a new cycle in June with Xabi Alonso on the bench.

The latest information ensures that Florentino Pérez is willing to pay the almost 60 million euros of Nico's clause, whose contract ends in 2027. Although, for the moment, none of the teams involved has confirmed contacts between the parties, the truth is that the 'merengues' do not consider the market closed after the signings of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and, probably, Álvaro Carreras.

The arrival of Nico Williams: a sentence for Vinicius?

However, beyond the economic issue, the fit of Nico Williams in the 'merengue' squad has a key obstacle: Vinicius Jr. The presence of the '7' has been a headache for Kylian Mbappé himself in his first season in Chamartín, since 'Vini' is the owner of the left side of the Madrid attack.

In that sense, if the Whites really want to sign the player from Pamplona, they will have to get rid of the Brazilian, since the Bilbao 'crack' is also a natural left winger. Madrid has well underway the departure of Rodrygo Goes to one of the greats of the Premier League (Arsenal or Chelsea) and, the next on the list, may be Vinicius.

Both forwards have received a lot of criticism in recent weeks for their very low level in the final stretch of the season, with Rodrygo's case being more complex. The '11' was even removed from the squad due to an alleged injury of which no further details are known. With 'Vini', however, there is still no formal distancing that suggests his departure this year.

Real Madrid seeks to make a market splash with an old Barça target

Nico Williams, in a match with Athletic Club

For Madrid, yes, the signing of Nico would mean making a market splash with who was the main target of the 2024 summer market for Barça. The 'culés' were very interested in the left winger after the European Championship, but the Basque preferred to stay one more year at Athletic after not receiving a 'azulgrana' offer during the month of July.

Looking ahead to the next summer market, Joan Laporta himself set Barça's position regarding the possibility of resuming the signing of the younger of the Williams. "We thought about him at the time because he is an excellent player, but we decided on Dani Olmo and now we are looking at other options", explained the 'azulgrana' president in an interview for 'TV3'.

As things stand, the 'Casa Blanca' may have a free path to go for the '10' of Athletic, whose departure from San Mamés seems a matter of weeks. Although the 'lions' will play in the Champions League in 25/26, their main star does not want to wait any longer to make the leap to a European giant. Will Real Madrid be his next destination?

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