Three reasons why Barcelona prefer Athletic Club winger over Bundesliga star | OneFootball

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Although getting a midfield pivot is their first priority, FC Barcelona will also try to get a left winger in the upcoming summer transfer window in order to bring more variety and vitality to their attack.

In this regard, the Catalans have been linked with several players in the last few months, but the two that really stand out in the list are Dani Olmo and Nico Williams.

Both these players are quite good at their roles and would improve the quality of the Barcelona frontline, but according to SPORT, there is one sporting and two economic reasons why the Catalans prefer the Athletic Bilbao winger to the RB Leipzig forward.

This season, Barcelona have struggled against teams with static defenses, and Barcelona believe Nico William’s ability to take defenders on will provide their team with an answer to such a defensive setup.

While Olmo is the more versatile of the two players, as he can play on the wing, in the center, and also as an interior, the Catalans believe Nico can also play as a winger and a number 9, while they already have several interior midfielders available.

The Catalans also understand that Nico’s skills and speed are also more in line with the demands of modern football. Furthermore, Nico is also the more attractive player from an economic point of view.

He is still only 21 years old, and one can reasonably expect that he will be able to retain some value after spending five or six years at Barcelona. On the other hand, Olmo is already 26 years old, and the Catalans would not be able to get much for him after four or five years.

Similarly, Nico’s current release clause at Athletic Club stands at €50 million while Olmo’s release clause at RB Leipzig is €60 million. Olmo also commands higher wages than Nico, and this can be a significant problem for Barcelona, especially considering their FFP problems.

Thus, for these three reasons, Barcelona currently prefer signing Nico Williams over Dani Olmo, even though the latter trained at their academy in the past.