Barcelona agree personal terms with Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool target Nico Williams

While Barcelona President Joan Laporta’s words that they had the money to sign Nico Williams immediately were met with some scepticism, there was perhaps a little more behind those statements than first met the eye. It appears he knew the total cost.

Athletic Club will demand his €58m release clause in full for the transfer, but amid Premier League competition willing to double his salary, Barcelona have reached an agreement in principle on personal terms with his agent. According to Sport, Barcelona met with Felix Tainta last week in the Catalan capital, and the ended with a deal for what he would earn.

Elsewhere it has been reported that the Blaugrana are likely to offer him a six-year deal in order to spread out the cost of the transfer as much as possible, while others say that deal could cost a total of €25-30m per season in terms of their salary cap hit. The Blaugrana still have to ensure they can register him, as there is no confirmation they are not still over their salary limit. Williams is also keen to have his future resolved more or less by the time he returns from holidays, around the end of July.