Arsenal are looking at Athletic Bilbao's winger starlet Nico Williams as a key target for reinforcements at the tail end of the summer transfer window, according to Miguel Delaney, a well-known journalist from The Independent. With the transfer window about to close, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is eager to add new options to the forward line to strengthen the team's offense.
Arsenal are reportedly on the verge of completing a deal to bring in midfielder Merino from Real Sociedad, but that hasn't slowed down the pace of their reinforcements up front. Nico Williams has managed to attract Arsenal's attention with his outstanding performance in the Europa League. However, the young winger's release clause is as high as 48 million pounds, and he himself seems to prefer to stay in Spain to play, especially he is interested in joining Barcelona, which undoubtedly makes Arsenal's attraction work more difficult.
Arsenal's reinforcement strategy appears to be quite subtle, as they are willing to pay high transfer fees for players who they believe can be the first starters of the team, as demonstrated by the successful signing of England international Ryan Rice last summer. However, for players like Nico Williams, Arsenal may need to weigh up their budget against the player's wishes.
Arteta has shown flexibility in terms of reinforcements, and he may look for players like Trossard - players who won't necessarily start regularly, but who can provide the team with a different style of play at key moments. This strategy means that Arsenal will hold back on their reinforcement budget in order to invest major funds in the starters they absolutely want.
Arsenal have suffered other setbacks in their pursuit of Nico Williams. They had originally planned to bring in a top 9 striker, but Isaac failed to do so due to a staunch refusal from Newcastle United. In addition, Arteta briefly considered Brentford
of Ivan Toni, but ultimately dropped the option. Arsenal have also failed to find a suitable striker with the expiry of Leipzig striker Cheshko's release clause, forcing them to shift their reinforcement focus to wing players.
Outside of Nico Williams, Arsenal are also considering other alternative options such as Pedro Neto, who was the subject of transfer rumors (and has now joined Chelsea), and Atalanta's Luqman. As the transfer window draws closer, Arsenal's transfer strategy may be adjusted according to market conditions and players' wishes. If they are unsuccessful in signing Niko Williams, Arsenal may adopt a more flexible transfer strategy to ensure that they add to their squad before the transfer window closes.
