According to Mark Douglas at iNews, Newcastle United are considering a move for Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams – but any move for the attacker is ‘unlikely’ this summer.
The club are hoping to free up space on the wage bill over the coming weeks, with Ryan Fraser’s loan move to Southampton expected to be one of several late exits. However, no major outgoings are anticipated, meaning there’ll no funds generated to allow for another big signing.
Williams is a Spanish international winger who has been on the club’s radar for some time. Back in February, The Athletic revealed that we’d lined up a move for the 21-year-old prior to signing Everton’s Anthony Gordon.
Six months on, Douglas reveals that the £40m-rated talent remains firmly on our radar and could be one to watch in the next few windows. He’s started the new La Liga season with two assists in two games and was involved in 15 goals last season, also scoring once in eight appearances for his country.
A right-sided centre-back looks highly unlikely to arrive in the final seven days of the summer window, but iNews report that extensive analysis, scouting and ‘leg work’ will continue behind the scenes, with this likely to be a position we strengthen in January should the right deal emerge.
Who we target at centre-back remains a mystery, but we have been linked with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba, Benfica’s Antonio Silva, Jean-Clair Todibo of Nice and Palace’s Joachim Andersen.
