Liverpool Eye Nico Williams as Salah Successor Amid Arsenal Interest
The names keep coming back around at Liverpool. The search to fill the void left by Mohamed Salah has turned into a loop, and one of the recurring figures on the radar is Nico Williams.
Arsenal Push, Liverpool Watch
According to reporter Ekrem Konur, Liverpool have renewed their interest in the Athletic Club winger, but they are not at the front of the queue.
“Liverpool are interested in Nico Williams, but Arsenal’s pursuit is currently more advanced,” Konur stated on X, outlining the current state of play. He added that Arsenal have made fresh contact for the 24-year-old, with sporting director Andrea Berta examining whether a deal can be done.
Williams’ contract carries a £77 million release clause. It is a significant fee, but one that Arsenal and several other Premier League clubs are understood to be capable of meeting. Liverpool know the number. So does everyone else.
For now, the initiative lies in north London. Liverpool hover in the background, weighing risk against reward.
A Long-Touted Move Waiting to Happen
Williams has been tipped for a major move for years. At one stage, he looked destined for Barcelona. Last summer, he stood on the brink of a switch to Camp Nou before choosing a different path entirely, signing a remarkable ten-year deal to stay in Bilbao until 2035.
The length of that contract sounded like a statement of permanence, but the £77m release clause told a different story. Athletic Club protected their asset; Williams kept a door open.
On the pitch, his 2023/24 campaign underlined why Europe’s elite have tracked him so closely. He delivered 18 direct goal involvements in 31 league appearances, driving Athletic Club’s attack with pace, width and aggression. He then carried that form onto the international stage, emerging as one of Spain’s standout performers during their EURO 2024 triumph.
That tournament hardened the view that he was ready for the next step. Ready for a superclub. Ready, perhaps, for the Premier League.
The Numbers Behind the Hype
Since that peak, though, the output has cooled.
Across his last two league seasons, Williams has managed only ten direct goal involvements: 5 goals and 5 assists in 2024/25, followed by 6 goals and 4 assists in 2025/26. Respectable, but not explosive. Over his career to date, he has never scored more than 11 goals in all competitions in a single season.
For a player tied to a £77m clause, those figures invite scrutiny. Is he a winger on the brink of superstardom, or a high-ceiling talent still struggling to turn promise into relentless production?
Liverpool’s recruitment team will have those numbers pinned to the wall. They know what they are losing. Salah, even in a season framed as a step down, still posted 12 goals and 10 assists last term. That is the benchmark. That is the standard any successor will be judged against from day one.
Fit, Risk and the Salah Shadow
On paper, Williams brings plenty of what Liverpool crave. Electric pace. The ability to isolate full-backs and go past them. Quick feet in tight spaces. He stretches games, breaks lines and drags defences out of shape.
What he does not yet bring is Salah’s ruthless edge in front of goal. That is the crux of the debate. Liverpool are not just signing a winger; they are trying to replace an era-defining source of goals and assists.
Paying £77m for a wide forward who has never broken the 11-goal barrier in a season is a gamble, even in a market where fees have inflated beyond reason. The upside is obvious. So is the risk.
For now, the noise around Bradley Barcola at PSG suggests he remains Liverpool’s priority target. Williams sits just behind, a live option, a known profile, a long-term fascination that refuses to fade.
The question is simple and brutal: do Liverpool back their coaching and structure to turn Nico Williams from a thrilling winger into a decisive one, or does another Premier League rival seize that chance first?
