Rodri urges Manchester City to sign £48m Arsenal target ‘without a doubt’
Nico Williams attracted interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in the summer (Shutterstock) Rodri believes Manchester City should have no hesitation in signing Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams ahead of Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. The 22-year-old was one of Spain’s standout stars at Euro 2024 and scored the opening goal in his nation’s 2-1 win against England in the final. Williams attracted interest from several clubs in the summer window, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona all exploring possible moves for the midfielder. But Rodri believes City should also be in the running to sign his Spain teammate after he spoke with Williams via video link at AS’ awards ceremony in Madrid on Monday evening. When asked by the ceremony host if he would ‘take Williams to City tomorrow’, Rodri replied: ‘Yes, yes. Right now if I was taking him I would also be taking him to teach him a little bit about the cold in England, although it’s similar to Bilbao. ‘But yes, I would take him with me without a doubt.’ Rodri spoke to Nico Williams at an award ceremony in Madrid on Monday night (AS) Williams has a relatively modest €58 million (£48.1m) release clause in his deal with Athletic Bilbao but his €200,000-a-week (£166,000) salary was believed to have been a major hurdle for interested clubs in the summer window. When asked about his future in September, Williams said: ‘It’s always flattering to know that big teams have you on their agenda. ‘But I’ve always been clear that I wanted to be here. Athletic is a different feeling that you don’t get at other clubs. I’m really looking forward to doing things well at this club. ‘There were approaches from many clubs. My heart is with Athletic. I have a contract here, but who knows what will happen in the future. ‘I wanted to stay here because playing in Europe with Athletic was what I was most excited about.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Rodri believes Manchester City should have no hesitation in signing Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams ahead of Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.
The 22-year-old was one of Spain’s standout stars at Euro 2024 and scored the opening goal in his nation’s 2-1 win against England in the final.
Williams attracted interest from several clubs in the summer window, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona all exploring possible moves for the midfielder.
But Rodri believes City should also be in the running to sign his Spain teammate after he spoke with Williams via video link at AS’ awards ceremony in Madrid on Monday evening.
When asked by the ceremony host if he would ‘take Williams to City tomorrow’, Rodri replied: ‘Yes, yes. Right now if I was taking him I would also be taking him to teach him a little bit about the cold in England, although it’s similar to Bilbao.
‘But yes, I would take him with me without a doubt.’
Williams has a relatively modest €58 million (£48.1m) release clause in his deal with Athletic Bilbao but his €200,000-a-week (£166,000) salary was believed to have been a major hurdle for interested clubs in the summer window.
When asked about his future in September, Williams said: ‘It’s always flattering to know that big teams have you on their agenda.
‘But I’ve always been clear that I wanted to be here. Athletic is a different feeling that you don’t get at other clubs. I’m really looking forward to doing things well at this club.
‘There were approaches from many clubs. My heart is with Athletic. I have a contract here, but who knows what will happen in the future.
‘I wanted to stay here because playing in Europe with Athletic was what I was most excited about.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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