Liverpool's Renewed Interest in Nico Williams as Salah Successor

The names keep looping around Liverpool’s transfer radar, but one refuses to fade. Nico Williams is back in the frame.

The World Cup winner, long linked with a move away from Athletic Club, has again been flagged as a serious option as Liverpool work through the complex task of replacing Mohamed Salah.

Bradley Barcola at PSG remains the preferred target, the one the club have pushed hardest for. Yet the Williams file is open again, and this time the competition is fierce.

Arsenal Push Ahead, Liverpool Watch Closely

Transfer specialist Ekrem Konur reports that Liverpool retain a strong interest in the 24-year-old winger, but they are not at the front of the queue.

“Liverpool are interested in Nico Williams, but Arsenal’s pursuit is currently more advanced,” Konur said on X, outlining a race that appears to be tilting towards North London for now.

Arsenal have already made fresh contact over a potential deal, with sporting director Andrea Berta studying whether the numbers can work. The key figure is no secret: a £77 million release clause written into Williams’ long-term contract.

It is a fee that Arsenal and several other Premier League clubs can realistically afford. Liverpool, as ever, will weigh value as heavily as talent.

A Star Who Never Quite Exploded

Williams has lived on the brink of a blockbuster move for years. Last summer he looked destined for Barcelona before delivering a surprise twist: a ten-year contract at Athletic Club, tying him down until 2035 but keeping that £77m escape hatch in place.

On the pitch, his peak so far came in the 2023/24 season. He delivered 18 direct goal involvements in 31 league matches for Athletic Club, then carried that form into the international arena, emerging as one of Spain’s standout performers in their EURO 2024 triumph.

That surge put him firmly in the “next big thing” bracket. Since then, the numbers have cooled.

Across his last two league campaigns, Williams has produced a combined ten goal involvements: 5 goals and 5 assists in 2024/25, followed by 6 goals and 4 assists in 2025/26. Across all competitions, he has never broken the 11-goal barrier in a single season.

For a winger valued at £77m, those figures invite scrutiny. Is the clause a reflection of what he is now, or what he might yet become?

What Liverpool See in Williams

Liverpool’s interest cuts through that debate. They see a profile, not just a stat line.

Williams brings electric pace. He stretches games, forces defenders to turn, and can beat his man in tight spaces with quick feet and sharp changes of direction. In transition, he is devastating. In broken-field situations, he looks every inch the modern wide forward.

The question is end product. Salah, even in what many considered a quieter season, still left Anfield with 12 goals and 10 assists in the league. Replacing that level of guarantee is not a cosmetic job; it’s structural.

Williams has yet to show he can carry that kind of burden over a full campaign. The flashes are there, the pedigree is clear, the ceiling remains high. But for £77m, clubs want more than promise. They want certainty.

That tension defines Liverpool’s dilemma. Do they gamble on upside, trusting their coaching and environment to turn potential into ruthless output? Or do they look elsewhere for a more proven finisher to step into Salah’s shadow?

Arsenal’s more advanced pursuit may soon force the issue. Liverpool can wait, watch, and calculate. But if they truly believe Williams is the next wide forward to build around, hesitation could see him lighting up the Premier League in another shade of red.