Andrea Berta meets with agent to discuss £48m Arsenal transfer

Arsenal’s new director of football, Andrea Berta, has met with Nico Williams’ agent to discuss a move to the Premier League, according to reports.

The Gunners have been long-time admirers of Williams and failed with a move to sign the 22-year-old following Spain’s success at Euro 2024 last summer.

Williams, who had also attracted strong interest from Barcelona last year, opted to remain with Athletic Bilbao but he remains available due to a €58 million (£48.4m) release clause in his deal.

According to The Times, Arsenal have now stepped up their efforts to put a deal in place for Williams ahead of the summer transfer window, with Berta meeting the winger’s representative.

However, The Guardian reports that Arsenal are not alone in their pursuit of Williams, with Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern Munich also in the running.

Williams remains one of Bilbao’s star performers with four goals and five assists in La Liga this season, although he was disrupted by hip and ankle injuries earlier in the campaign.

Arsenal have been in the market for another versatile attacker to bolster Mikel Arteta’s squad, which has been hampered by injuries to several players this term.

Last week, reports claimed that Arsenal are also exploring alternative options to Alexander Isak, with Newcastle United demanding a £150m fee for their striker.

One name on Arsenal’s radar is Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, who has scored 42 goals in 42 appearances for the Portuguese club this season.

Manchester United are also exploring the possibility of reuniting Gyokores with Ruben Amorim this summer.

Gyokores has a €100m (£83m) release clause in his contract with Sporting but it’s understood that the Portuguese champions would be open to selling their star striker for a deal worth at least £63m.

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