Barcelona face fresh competition from Manchester City for 22-year-old La Liga star: Reports
Manchester City have reportedly joined the race to sign Athletic Club forward Nico Williams, who has been strongly linked with a move to Barcelona. The Cityzens are preparing for a rebuild on the back of their disappointing season so far which has them in fourth place in the Premier League.
Spain international Williams burst onto the scene fully in the 2023-24 season with his club and further enhanced his reputation at Euro 2024. The 22-year-old scored twice, including once in the final, and provided an assist as Spain went on to win the competition for the first time since 2012.
Fichajes.net report that the forward has now come into the cross-hairs of the Manchester City recruitment team. Pep Guardiola's side are prepared for the potential exits of a number of attacking players, including Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne, and are looking at potential replacements.
Williams was reportedly close to joining Spanish giants Barcelona in the summer, with La Blaugrana keen on his signing before pulling out. Barcelona remain interested but do not have the financial muscle to compete with Manchester City for his signature.
Nico Williams has not been at his sensational best for his club this season, with two goals and five assists in 21 appearances for the Basque outfit. Williams has a huge admirer in Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho, who believes he is primed to move to a bigger club.
Former Real Madrid manager hits out at Manchester City boss amid struggles
Former Real Madrid boss Fabio Cabello has handed a tongue-lashing to former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola over his struggles with Manchester City this season. The Cityzens have had a terrible run of form over the last two months.
Manchester City have won once in ten games, losing seven of those matches and leaving more questions than answers about their future. Capello spoke with Sky Sports Italia, and he laid the blame at the feet of the former Barcelona manager, calling him arrogant.
"Guardiola is a great coach, but he is too arrogant and presumptuous. Sometimes, he has even lost titles because he wanted to showcase that it was he who won and not the players. In important matches, he left key figures out of the team. In my opinion, that was an attempt to diminish the prominence and credit of his players," he said.
Pep Guardiola led his side to an unprecedented four successive league titles and won only the second-ever treble in English football in 2023. The loss of Rodri to injury and the age of his key players appears to signal a need to reinforce the squad in the transfer window to try and salvage their season.