Arsenal now “in contact” with £67m Spain forward who Bayern Munich want

Arsenal have now reached out to the representatives of a Spain international star who is also wanted by Bayern Munichwith the Gunners expected to have a busy summer following the arrival of new sporting director Andrea Berta.

Arsenal map £300 million transfer plan after Berta appointment

According to GiveMeSport, manager Mikel Arteta could be backed with a £300 million transfer war chest this summer after Berta’s appointment to succeed Edu Gaspar, with as many as seven potential signings being considered.

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The Spaniard has been in advanced negotiations to join.

Arsenal want to bolster their goalkeeping department with a new second-choice shot-stopper behind David Raya, while GMS report that a left-back, defensive midfielder, left-winger and striker are also being targeted by Berta.

They could even look to bring in an alternative to Bukayo Saka following the England star’s troubles with injuries this season, following previous reports that Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo is on Arsenal’s shortlist of options for that role.

However, GMS state that they already have firm targets for the left-hand side to alternate with Gabriel Martinelli, and this includes Athletic Bilbao sensation Nico Williams.

The Spain international, who impressed at Euro 2024 and racked up an incredible 19 assists in all competitions last season, was heavily linked with a switch to Arsenal last year, but Williams elected to remain at Bilbao for another season.

His contract does contain a release clause, which could reach up to £67 millionbut his salary is thought to be pretty high. Bilbao pay their players handsomely and Williams is no exception, with the 22-year-old thought to be on around £200,000-per-week in the Basque Country.

On top of this, his wage demands to leave would be extortionate. The Mirror reported back in January that Williams is demanding as much as £300,000-per-week to leave Bilbao this year, which would make him Arsenal’s highest-paid player.

Arsenal open discussions with Nico Williams via representatives

Nevertheless, this hasn’t stopped Arsenal from testing the water by opening discussions with the highly-rated forward via his camp.

According to reliable journalist and Bundesliga insider Christian Falk, Arsenal are in contact with Williams’ agents ahead of the summer, but he’s also now a target for Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich, so this could be an intriguing story to follow.

While the attacking sensation’s exit clause is a big part of this potential transfer, Williams’ reported salary expectations could make the cost of this potential transfer very unreachable for Arsenal and Berta, especially if they do intend to strengthen the squad across the board.

There is no denying the “unique” Bilbao forward’s obvious qualities in terms of pace, directness and creativity, but Berta should have alternatives if a move proves unaffordable.