Barcelona faces two big problems in pursuit of Nico Williams

Barcelona have encountered two big problems in their pursuit of Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams.

The Catalan club picked up serious pace in recent days to sign Williams this summer.

The player is reportedly eager to make the switch to Camp Nou.

But, according to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan club face two significant obstacles that could affect the move despite Williams’ willingness to join the Blaugrana.

One of the problems is that Barcelona still considers Liverpool’s Luis Diaz as the main target to strengthen the left wing position in manager Hansi Flick’s squad but bringing the Colombian international in from the Premier League champions is far from easy.

Liverpool currently have no plans to entertain offers for Diaz and even if they change their stance, the asking price is expected to be no less than €60 million.

The second problem is Williams’ release clause which is set at €58 million and rises to around €64 million when adjusted for inflation (CPI).

On the surface, this makes his transfer more straightforward, but from Barcelona’s point of view, the structure of the payment is actually a problem for the LaLiga champions.

Meanwhile, to join Barcelona.

The Spain international has been impressive for Bilbao since joining a few years ago.