Athletic Club superstar Nico Williams has been urged to stay with the La Liga outfit this summer amid growing reports that Liverpool want to sign the Spanish international.
Speaking to El Desmarque, teammate Gorka Guruzeta made the case for Williams to stay with the Basque giants for another season, with the 26-year-old striker claiming that the Spanish wonderkid would be better off staying at Athletic than signing for a club like Liverpool.
Valued at £43m, Williams was part of Spain’s 2022 FIFA World Cup squad that crashed out of the round of 16, and the striker has since been coveted by some of the biggest clubs in Europe, though interest from Liverpool remains the biggest.
Although Liverpool are arguably fine in the striker department with Darwin Nunez expected to lead the line next season with Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo able to fill in if needed, there’s no denying that Williams is quite the exciting talent. And for Guruzeta, the Athletic star believes a move could be too soon this summer.
The Basque attacker said: “Nico is not the same as the kid from the academy. Nico has many chances to play at any club. We already know his quality. He is aware of what he has and what he could find elsewhere; titles, money. Each player has ambitions that they want to achieve. For me, I hope he stays because we can help him a lot.”
Liverpool should shelve signing Williams until 2024
At 20-years-old, there’s few talents in football currently attracting as much as buzz as Williams, who is showing early signs of becoming Spain’s next great striker and a talent who could star at a top level for many years to come. Yet for Liverpool, the Reds would be wise to shelve any idea of signing the forward for at least a year.
As mentioned, Liverpool are stacked in the attacker department, and whilst Roberto Firmino will leave the club this summer, the Anfield side are still stocked in all positions, with funds to potentially sign Williams much better off being used to bring in midfielders.