Barcelona have reached a personal agreement with Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams, but several issues still need sorting before the Spanish winger can complete his dream move to the Catalan giants.
The 22-year-old Spain international, who is of Ghanaian descent, has netted 31 goals in 167 games for Bilbao and has also caught the eye of Arsenal and Bayern Munich this summer.
However, Williams has agreed to a six-year contract that would see him team up with his close mate and Spain teammate Lamine Yamal at the Nou Camp.
Williams reportedly asked Yamal to help him secure the Barcelona move after a successful season with Bilbao, where he helped the club qualify for the Champions League and reach the Europa League semi-finals.
Barcelona had looked at Liverpool's Luis Diaz earlier in the summer but were put off by the Reds' £80m asking price for the Colombian winger.
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Williams has a release clause worth 62 million euros (£53m) in his Athletic Bilbao contract, which Barcelona are prepared to pay.
Sporting director Deco met Williams and his agents in Ibiza this week, where they shook hands on a verbal deal.
Nico Williams' recent performance
The winger enjoyed his best goalscoring campaign last season, finding the back of the net 11 times in 41 appearances across all competitions.
His strong form followed Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, where Williams scored the opening goal in their 2-1 final win over England in Berlin.
Despite the personal terms being agreed, Barcelona still face obstacles in completing the transfer, though the club remains confident of landing their target before the summer window closes.
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Meanwhile, his elder brother Inaki Williams has been named new captain following the depature of Oscar De Marcos.
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