Nico Williams has continued to play in Athletic Bilbao despite being linked with the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and PSG in the last summer transfer window.
The Spaniard was on Bayern Munich’s wish list for much of last summer, but the transfer ultimately failed for several reasons.
According to a report in Sport Bild, two specific factors are said to have prevented the 23-year-old winger from Athletic Bilbao from ultimately putting pen to paper on a deal with the German record champions.
Firstly, the player’s financial demands were considered excessive: Williams reportedly sought a fixed salary of €22 million per year, to which performance-related payments and bonuses would have been added.
Nico Williams was heavily linked with Barcelona and Bayern Munich but he opted to stay at Athletic Bilbao (Photo by Maria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Max Eberl had already revealed last summer that there were differing views on this matter – immediately after Williams had surprisingly extended his contract with Bilbao: “When we heard the salary demands just to even speak to the player, Bayern Munich backed out very quickly and said: ‘Okay, then we won’t do it’,” said the FCB sporting director.
Second factor was that Williams did not match the position-specific profile Eberl had developed with a data firm, Sport-Bild reports.
Concerns were raised as the winger’s defensive track record prompted Bayern’s hierarchy to question whether he would suit Vincent Kompany’s high-pressing, defence-splitting system.
The club concluded that signing Williams would be too great a risk for the manager’s attacking philosophy.
That ideal profile was eventually filled by Luis Díaz, signed from Liverpool for around €70 million. The Colombian hit the ground running, establishing himself as an important figure in the squad.
Williams remains under contract at Athletic Bilbao until 2035, but has struggled to play at the highest level this season. With just 13 goal contributions in 31 appearances, it’s possible his market value could drop by next summer.
