Liverpool Eyes Nico Williams as Salah Successor Amid Arsenal Interest

The names keep looping around Liverpool’s recruitment meetings, and one keeps returning to the whiteboard. Nico Williams. Again.

The World Cup winner is back on the Reds’ shortlist as they continue the awkward, high‑stakes task of reshaping the attack after Mohamed Salah. The club’s gaze remains fixed primarily on PSG’s Bradley Barcola, but the door to La Liga is clearly not shut. Not yet.

Arsenal Step to the Front

Liverpool’s interest is real, but they are not alone and not in front.

Transfer reporter Ekrem Konur claims the Reds are back in the hunt for the 24‑year‑old Athletic Club winger, yet it is Arsenal who have pushed harder so far. On X, Konur stated that Liverpool admire Williams, but that Arsenal’s pursuit is “more advanced”, with fresh contacts already made.

The London club, he reports, have moved to explore a deal, with sporting director Andrea Berta assessing whether a move is workable. The numbers are straightforward enough: Williams has a £77 million release clause, a figure Konur says Arsenal and several other Premier League sides can realistically trigger.

So the race is on. Liverpool are in it. Arsenal, for now, are setting the pace.

A Long Contract, A Short Escape Route

Williams’ situation in Bilbao is one of the more curious in Europe.

Last summer he stood on the brink of a move to Barcelona, widely tipped as one of the continent’s most exciting wide forwards and seemingly destined for Camp Nou. Instead, he stunned the market by signing a ten‑year deal with Athletic, tying himself to the club until 2035.

On paper, that looked like a statement of loyalty. In reality, the contract came with a clear exit plan: the £77m release clause. Anyone willing to pay it doesn’t need to negotiate with Athletic. They only need to convince the player.

For a club like Liverpool, that clarity has appeal. No drawn‑out haggling, no public stand‑offs. Just a straight decision: is he worth the fee?

The Case for Williams

At his peak, Williams has looked every inch a modern elite winger.

In the 2023/24 season, he delivered 18 direct goal contributions in 31 league appearances for Athletic Club, a return that underlined his threat in the final third. He then carried that form onto the international stage, emerging as one of Spain’s standout performers during their EURO 2024 triumph.

That tournament turbo‑charged his reputation. Defenders struggled with his acceleration, his direct running, his ability to stretch the pitch on his own. For recruitment departments across Europe, he became a player you had to at least discuss.

Liverpool, searching for pace and incision out wide, would have taken note. They still are.

The Numbers That Complicate the Deal

Strip away the highlight reels, though, and the recent numbers are less flattering.

Across his last two league campaigns, Williams has managed only ten goal involvements: 5 goals and 5 assists in 2024/25, followed by 6 goals and 4 assists in 2025/26. For a player attached to a £77m release clause, that output invites scrutiny.

He has never scored more than 11 goals in all competitions in a single season. That ceiling raises an obvious question for Liverpool’s recruitment team: is he a devastating winger waiting to explode, or a high‑potential wide forward whose end product may never fully match the price tag?

The talent is obvious. Electric pace. Sharp feet. The ability to break lines and unsettle entire defensive structures. But Liverpool are not just buying chaos; they are trying to replace Salah’s cold, relentless numbers.

Last season, even in a campaign framed by speculation and transition, Salah still produced 12 goals and 10 assists. That is the standard any successor walks into. It is not a gentle landing.

Liverpool’s Gamble: Ceiling vs Certainty

This is where the decision becomes brutal.

Pay the clause, and Liverpool would be betting heavily on upside. On the idea that Williams, placed into a more dominant, chance‑creating side, would see his numbers spike to match his talent. On the belief that his EURO 2024 form is closer to his true level than his last two league seasons.

Hold back, and they risk watching Arsenal or another Premier League rival unlock that potential instead.

Liverpool have made a habit, in recent years, of choosing the right moment to pounce on a wide forward: Sadio Mané, Salah, Luis Díaz, Diogo Jota. Each arrived with questions, but each quickly answered them. Williams would be another big swing in that tradition.

The question now is simple, and it hangs over their summer: in a post‑Salah era, can Liverpool afford to wait for potential, or do they need guaranteed goals from day one?