Nico Williams reveals two Barcelona stars who tried to lure him into summer switch

Top Barcelona attacking target Nico Williams has revealed two Blaugrana stars who tried to convince him to make the move to the Camp Nou over the summer transfer window.

The Athletic Bilbao forward was Barca’s priority target for the left-wing position prior to the season starting, but the Catalan giants could not reach an agreement with Williams as he ultimately decided to stay at his current club for another season.

However, the Spain international has remained in the spotlight when it comes to talk of a move to Barcelona – even if the transfer talk has died down a little.

But that speculation has seen Williams open up on events over the summer as he spoke on Spanish TV in an interview with his brother, Inaki Williams.

Indeed, the 22-year-old revealed that he has had to face some difficult times because of this association with the Catalan club, while he has also emerged as a reported Liverpool target.

As reported by Mundo Deportivo, Williams said: “You try to escape it a bit, but you always get some criticism here and there. Especially on Twitter, which is where people go hardest. I have suffered, to be honest, I won’t lie to you.

“Even now that I’m no longer involved, I still get messages saying they don’t need me anymore. They would say all kinds of things, from both sides.”

Williams also revealed the two Barca stars who tried to convince him to sign, adding: “On top of that, the guys like Lamine [Yamal], [Alejandro] Balde, and all those guys weren’t helping. They kept telling me, ‘Come over already, bro, come over.'”

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Williams reacts to Raphinha rant

Barca’s pursuit of the Bilbao star raised questions about Raphinha’s future, with one photograph of a fan wearing a Williams shirt with the Brazilian’s No. 11 on the back going viral during the transfer window.

That led Raphinha, who has been in superb form for Barca in the opening months of the season, to comment on the speculation ahead of the recent Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.

The former Leeds forward said: “I saw those [posts] with the shirt on Instagram. I thought it was a joke in bad taste and it was disrespectful.

“People need to respect the players that are here. We’re here giving our best and fighting for the club. To see a photo like that wasn’t very nice for me, I took it as a lack of respect.

“Of course, people are free to do what they want, but I did feel a little hurt in that moment.”

Williams, however, has made it clear that he does not have anything in particular against the Brazilian, admitting: “I understand Raphinha, but in the end, he’s there, he’s doing things well, and I don’t hold any grudge against him or Barca. The intensity of everything has already died down.”

While that intensity may have indeed died down, there is still a strong feeling that Barcelona will once again try and prize Williams away from Bilbao at some point in 2025 – although the way Raphinha is playing, it could be argued they do not need him.

Latest Barcelona news: Barca pushing for Dortmund swap deal / Flick eyes Chelsea midfielder

Barcelona are reportedly attempting to land Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi by offering them Ferran Torres, given their failures to sell the winger.

Barcelona have an attack featuring some big names. The likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal are some of the most influential players in the world currently. However, alongside them, Torres is currently struggling to have an impact.

According to El Nacional, there have not been many offers for the struggling forward, who the club would not accept a fee of less than €25million (£21m/$27m) for.

As a result, they will look to package him in a deal for Adeyemi.

Meanwhile, Inter Milan and Barcelona have reportedly joined Real Madrid in the hunt for Enzo Fernandez, as the Chelsea midfielder has no intention of ‘sitting on the bench for months’ if his slide down the pecking order continues.

IN FOCUS – Williams stats v Raphinha, Yamal this season

Given those links between Williams and Barcelona resurfacing, TT thought it would be a good idea to see how his stats compare to current Barca wide players Raphinha and Laminee Yamal.

On those stats alone, there is a strong argument for Barcelona sticking with what they currently have – although at 22, Williams is five years younger than Raphinha and arguably more of a longer-term prospect than the Brazilian.