Liverpool target Nico Williams is now open to joining a Premier League club, according to reports.

The Athletic Bilbao forward was hoping to complete a move to Barcelona last summer but the deal collapsed due to the Catalan club’s financial situation.

With Barca unlikely to come back in for Williams in the near future, he is said to be considering a potential switch to England.

Rousing the Kop claim that Liverpool and Arsenal would be “the frontrunners” if the Spanish international does indicate he is willing to leave Bilbao. Chelsea and Manchester City are also reportedly involved.

Clubs already know how much it will cost to sign Williams

The 22-year-old has a release clause in his contract that means he can be bought for €58m (£48m) but no team has opted to pay it until now due to the player’s stance on a transfer.

If Williams is indeed more inclined to sign for a Premier League side, there could be a scramble for his services. Most sources still feel, though, that a move is likelier to happen in the summer than in the January transfer window.

Liverpool would have to meet the player’s wage demands

Williams is already earning £165,000 a week with Athletic and there is a belief that the Reds would have to pay in excess of £200,000 a week if they want to bring him to Anfield.

Of course, their interest may depend on whether Mo Salah leaves anyway and there would be considerable room in the wage budget if the Egyptian international does depart.

While an approach for Williams doesn’t seem imminent, it does look like Arne Slot’s side are well placed to make a move at the end of the season. He is not the only left winger on the club’s shortlist, though, with Fabrizio Romano confirming that the club are also scouting Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens – read more here.

Find out who is in Liverpool’s first-team squad for 2024/2025 season here