Ever since it has been made clear that Florian Wirtz is choosing Liverpool over Bayern Munich, the search for a contingency option signing for the German Rekordmeister has been well under way and there has been a lot of speculation to go along with it. Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, Brighton and Hove Albion’s Kaoru Mitoma, Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku, RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, Milan’s Rafael Leão, Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola and Athletic Club’s Nico Williams have been linked with a potential move to Munich this summer.
Bayern had already financially planned to have significant funds available for a Wirtz move, so all of the aforementioned options are feasible for the club once they are able to make a final decision on who they want and if it would be the right deal at the right time. Nonetheless, a signing needs to be made in the wake of missing out on a blockbuster Wirtz move that had been hyped up for the better part of the past six months.
Per information from Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo (via @iMiaSanMia), Athletic Club is trying to convince Nico Williams to sign a contract extension amidst heavy interest from Bayern along with other top European clubs. Arsenal is also one of a handful of clubs that have made inquiries for a potential summer move for the winger.
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Right now, Williams’ contract at Athletic Club runs through June 2027, which would mean that the second half of next season could see the 22-year old enter into the final year of his contract if he does not move this summer or agree to an extension with Athletic Club. He currently has a release clause of 60 million euros in his contract with the La Liga outfit, however they would like to try to increase said clause in addition to offering him a contract extension that would see him earn 10 million euros per year, which is not really any more than he makes now. Per Transfermarkt, the player is valuated at 70 million euros, coming off of a season with 11 goals and 7 assists from 45 appearances across all competitions.
As things stand, initial talks have already taken place between Williams and Athletic Club regarding a potential new deal, but now that the international break is over, talks are set to continue. Bayern will monitor his situation and could make a push to activate his current release clause should negotiations over a new deal at Athletic Club fall through.
