•Nico Williams
Arsenal are exploring a summer move for Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, report theguardian.co.uk. The reports say that Andrea Berta has held talks with the Spain forward’s representatives in one of his first acts as the club’s sporting director.
It is understood that Berta, who was confirmed in his post last Sunday and attended Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Fulham, has met the 22-year-old’s agent, Félix Tainta.
Arsenal have heavily scouted Williams for the past two years and are believed to have considered a move for him last summer, only to be informed that he wanted to remain at Athletic for another season.
Williams, having starred for Spain at Euro 2024 and helped his boyhood club reach the quarterfinals of the Europa League, where they will face Rangers next week, is expected to push for a move this summer. Barcelona, who also tried to sign Williams last summer, Bayern Munich and Chelsea are also believed to be in the race, with his release clause thought to be set at €58m (£48.4m).
Arsenal’s long-term interest and the role of Berta, formerly sporting director at Atlético Madrid, could persuade him to move to north London.
Arsenal are also in the market for a striker and have identified Sporting’s Viktor Gyökeres as a more realistic target than his Sweden teammate Alexander Isak. They have also heavily scouted Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig. The Real Sociedad midfielder Martín Zubimendi is expected to complete a £50.2m move, with Thomas Partey and Jorginho likely to depart when their contracts expire.
It is unclear what budget Berta will have, but there are likely to be more departures as Mikel Arteta attempts to refresh his squad.
The manager said on Monday he was looking forward to a “big summer” working with Berta. Extending the contracts of Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhães, whose deals expire in 2027, is also a priority.
Meanwhile, there are fears Gabriel could be out for a significant spell after coming off against Fulham with a hamstring injury. The problem was exacerbated by the Brazilian having to play on for more than a minute after Fulham refused to put the ball out, with footage showing the 27-year-old hobbling badly as he tried to stay on his feet.
Gabriel was sent for a scan yesterday and Arsenal are also assessing Jurriën Timber, who was forced off with a knee injury.
Arteta confirmed that Ben White had missed the game with a knee problem, joining Riccardo Calafiori on the sidelines after the Italian was injured on international duty.
Arsenal will play at Everton on Saturday and at Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday.
