Arsenal will have to pay €55m (£47m) if they want to secure the services of Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, according to Estadio Deportivo.
It was previously reported that the Spanish international’s release clause was €50m (£43m) but the newspaper claims that the figure rose by €5m (£4m) when he signed his new three-and-a-half-year contract back in December.
Even so, that slight increase is not expected to put off Arsenal and other clubs from making an offer for Williams in the next transfer window.
Estadio Deportivo report that the Gunners are expected to face competition from three other Premier League sides, including Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa, for the 21-year-old.
At the moment, no team has been made favourite to snap up Williams and Arsenal’s chances may depend on how quickly they decide to pursue his signature.
Why are Arsenal interested in the Spaniard?
Williams is a promising young winger with pace to burn. He can play on either flank and he is beginning to produce consistently in front of goal.
For Bilbao this season, the forward has racked up 6 goals and laid on 12 assists in 28 appearances.
A new striker may take priority over signing Williams
While manager Mikel Arteta is keen on bringing in a forward this summer, there is still some uncertainty over whether the club will pursue a new No.9 or a wide player who can take some of the pressure off Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
At the moment, it appears the Gunners are weighing up moves for the likes of Brentford’s Ivan Toney, Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee.
If one of those is signed, it’s unlikely that they will also make a bid for Williams due to the club’s transfer budget.
