Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is reportedly a huge fan of Williams, who starred for Spain at last summer’s European Championship.
He scored in La Roja’s final victory over England and was linked with a move to the Gunners and FC Barcelona in the summer transfer window.
Williams’ form for Athletic this season has been pretty underwhelming though, scoring four and assisting five in 30 appearances across all competitions.
His numbers this season are not putting off Arsenal, who remain keen on signing the 22-year-old.
This is according to a report from Football Transfers, where it is claimed Arsenal are ‘ready to pay above’ his €58million (£48.2m) release clause.
The report claims that the Gunners tried to sign Williams in the January transfer window and despite ‘showing a willingness to match the player’s release clause’, they ‘were unable to do a deal’.
Arteta’s side will ‘revisit’ the situation at the end of the season and know paying more than the £48.2m clause would likely involve more favourable payment terms, which will help them combat the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations.
Arsenal are boosted by the fact Williams is ‘ready to accept the Gunners’ offer in the summer’, with the Spanish contingent in the squad ‘vital in his thinking’.
Arteta currently has Spain team-mates David Raya and Mikel Merino at his disposal, while Martin Zubimendi is expected to join from Real Sociedad in the summer transfer window.
It is believed that Williams is Arteta’s ‘priority signing’ after exploring a deal to sign Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel this month.
The report adds that discussions between Arsenal and Bayern have ‘broken down’ due to the German club’s ‘demands’.
Should Williams join, he might struggle for game time due to Bukayo Saka’s importance, according to Arsenal legend Alan Smith.
“Nico Williams can play on that side but when Saka’s back, it’s such a difficult conundrum really when you try to find an understudy for an automatic starter in Saka,” Smith said.
“Nico Williams wouldn’t be wanting to come to a club and then find himself sitting on the bench.
“He’s obviously a very good young player, so again, whether Arsenal will pursue something like that, I’m not sure.
“They’ve got to tread a fine line in the transfer market at the moment and I’m sure they’re thinking about it all the time, especially at this moment in the season when things aren’t great.
“I would be a little surprised if Nico Williams came, I’ve gotta say. Whether he can play in a central position or on the wings, I don’t know but certainly when Saka’s fit, he’s not going to get in on the right.”
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