Barcelona in talks to sign 21-year-old top target, in contact with La Liga regarding move | OneFootball

Despite Raphinha stepping up repeatedly in the left-wing position towards the end of last season, Barcelona are eager to recruit a natural left-winger to strengthen the squad.

Various names have entered the fray, including the likes of Dani Olmo and Luis Diaz, who are considered top talents in their positions.

However, the player who appears to be garnering the most consensus in the Barcelona boardroom is Athletic Club talisman Nico Williams.

Barcelona have made Nico Williams a priority

Indeed, according to SPORT, Barcelona have initiated talks with Athletic Club to sign Nico Williams, making the Spanish winger their top priority for the summer transfer window.

Behind the scenes, Barça are making progress in negotiations and have even confirmed to La Liga that Nico Williams is their target.

For much of the year, Barça prioritized signing a holding midfielder. However, the emergence of Nico Williams has shifted their focus. The club now believes that acquiring the Spaniard along with a more affordable midfielder is the ideal course of action.

Set to be teammates at Barcelona? (Photo by JAIME REINA/AFP via Getty Images)

Nico’s dominant performances in the Euros, paired with his desire to don the Barcelona jersey, have only strengthened his case for joining the Catalan giants.

From the start, Barça knew Athletic Club would not negotiate on the €58 million clause but might be flexible on payment terms.

The club’s main concern has been meeting financial fair play requirements. Recently, though, optimism has grown at Barça about having room to maneuver in the coming weeks.

Barcelona may have to make some cuts to accommodate Nico

Indeed, prior reports have argued that to facilitate the transfer of the Athletic Club speedster, Laporta has identified three potential departures this transfer window: Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha and Ronald Araujo.

All three players carry significant market value and would enable Barcelona to comply with fair play regulations.

It remains to be seen if Barcelona are obligated to sell some of their big names, but in any case, acquiring Nico Williams’ signature is seen as a priority.