Liverpool's Ongoing Search for Salah's Successor: Nico Williams Returns

The same names keep coming up. The same questions keep being asked. Liverpool’s hunt for a long-term successor to Mohamed Salah has entered another loop, and Nico Williams is back on the radar.

The World Cup winner, long linked with a move away from Athletic Club, has re-emerged as a serious option as the club scours Europe for a right-sided forward with star power and staying power. PSG’s Bradley Barcola is understood to remain the priority target, but the Williams file has not been closed.

Arsenal Move First, Liverpool Watch Closely

Transfer specialist Ekrem Konur reports that Liverpool have renewed their interest in the 24-year-old, yet they are not currently in pole position. Arsenal, once again, are the ones pushing hardest.

“Liverpool are interested in Nico Williams, but Arsenal’s pursuit is currently more advanced,” Konur said on X, outlining the early shape of the race. He added that Arsenal have made fresh contacts over the winger, with sporting director Andrea Berta examining whether a deal can be done.

The numbers are clear. Williams’ contract in Bilbao carries a £77 million release clause, a figure that several Premier League clubs — including Arsenal — are considered capable of triggering. Liverpool, should they decide he is the man to inherit Salah’s role, would not be priced out either.

A Long-Touted Move Waiting to Happen

Williams has lived with transfer noise for years. At one stage he was one of the most coveted young forwards in Europe, heavily tipped to join Barcelona last summer. That move never materialised. Instead, he stunned many by signing a ten-year deal to stay at Athletic Club until 2035.

The length of the contract sounded like a romantic declaration of loyalty, but the release clause told a different story. At £77m, it always left the door open for a major club to come calling.

On the pitch, his 2023/24 season justified the hype. Williams produced 18 direct goal involvements in 31 league appearances for Athletic, then carried that form into the summer, emerging as one of Spain’s standout performers in their EURO 2024 triumph. His acceleration, direct running and ability to unbalance defences on the flank marked him out as a winger built for the modern game.

That was the version of Nico Williams that top clubs fell in love with.

Output vs. Potential

Since that high, the numbers have cooled. Across his last two league campaigns, Williams has registered just ten goal involvements in each: 5 goals and 5 assists in 24/25, followed by 6 goals and 4 assists in 25/26. Solid returns, but not the explosive output usually associated with a £77m attacker.

He has yet to score more than 11 goals in all competitions in a single season. For recruitment departments, that matters. For Liverpool, trying to replace a player who still delivered 12 goals and 10 assists last season, it matters even more.

That is the tension around Williams. The tools are obvious: electric pace, sharp feet, a winger who can stretch the pitch and beat his man in tight spaces or in open grass. The question is whether he can turn those attributes into elite end product on a consistent basis — and whether a club is ready to pay release-clause money to find out.

Liverpool know exactly what they are losing with Salah: guaranteed goals, guaranteed assists, guaranteed chaos in the final third. Williams, at this stage of his career, offers more promise than certainty.

A Calculated Gamble or the Next Statement Signing?

This is why the race for his signature feels finely balanced. Arsenal appear willing to test the waters first, exploring whether the structure of a deal makes sense around that £77m clause. Liverpool, watching and weighing, must decide if they see Williams as a primary solution or a high-end alternative to Barcola.

For Williams, the crossroads is obvious. Stay in Bilbao as the face of Athletic’s project, or take the leap into the Premier League spotlight, where every touch will be judged against a price tag and a predecessor.

Liverpool’s attack is evolving whether they like it or not. The only real question is whether Nico Williams will be part of the next version, or one more name they let pass to a rival.