William Gallas warns Arsenal they’re ‘too late’ to sign key transfer target

William Gallas has warned his old club Arsenal they’re ‘too late’ to sign key target Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao in the summer transfer window.

The Gunners have been linked to the Spain international throughout the summer while Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona are all also interested in a potential deal.

Williams, 22, recently impressed for Spain at Euro 2024 as the won the tournament in Germany with victory over Gareth Southgate’s England in the final.

Gallas, though, has told Arsenal to give up on hope of bringing the winger to the Emirates, and he also doesn’t think Chelsea or Liverpool have much chance either.

Quizzed about Arsenal being reportedly ‘very keen’ on Williams and if the Spaniard should pick the Gunners or the Blues, Gallas told Gambling Zone: ‘Too late!

‘Sorry Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool fans, or fans of any club that have been linked with Nico Williams, you’re too late.

‘He is going to go to Barcelona. I’m sure Barcelona is going to try to do everything they can to get that boy, especially when you see the relationship that he has with Lamine Yamal.

‘They are two players that complement each other perfectly on the pitch and off it, they look like they’re really great friends. They’re always together.’

Williams has decided to spend at least one more season at Bilbao despite the interest from clubs in Spain and England, according to Marca.

He has conjured up 20 goals and 26 assists across 122 games for the Basque Country side to date.

Discussing his future and interest from other clubs during the Euros, Williams said: ‘In the end, my brother (Bilbao team-mate Inaki Williams) is a very important person for me. He has lived a similar situation to mine.

‘He has also had offers from outside Athletic Bilbao, but I said that I didn’t want to know anything about what comes from outside, about signings or stories. They know what I am like, the personality I have, and I don’t like to know because I get distracted easily. I prefer to focus on one thing and go for it.

‘Because if one thing or another comes to me, in the end my head doesn’t work very well. My agent, my parents and my family know me perfectly and they know that I don’t want to hear anything until the Euros are over.’